I'm not quite sure at what point I decided that Paul Thomas Anderson had become my own favorite of this generation's filmmakers, a visionary whose ability to examine the great American mythos is unmatched and whose work has never, not a single time, garnered less than a 4/4 star rating from me.
It wasn't quite Hard Eight, though that was actually a film I watched a little bit later in PTA's career. Oh sure, there are those films and those moments where I don't completely resonate with the film that unfolds on the big screen. However, even in those cases I find myself enthralled with Anderson's ambition and vision, messaging and simply immaculate filmmaking.
For different reasons and at different times, I've had different favorites among Anderson's films. It seems that Magnolia and Punch-Drunk Love are always near the top of my list. Yet, in other moments I'll bask in the wonder of There Will Be Blood, Boogie Nights and, yes, even Hard Eight.
Anderson will never quite be a filmmaker for everyone. Perfection is overrated and if everyone loves you you're most likely not taking many risks. For my money? Anderson is the greatest living filmmaker today. Also for my money, One Battle After Another is one of his greatest films to date. At nearly three hours, One Battle After Another is a hard sell to the megaplex audiences with its lengthy runtime and difficult to describe narrative based loosely, quite loosely on Pynchon's Vineland.
Yet, I have no doubt that One Battle After Another is a film that will live on. It's a film where I was never bored, never drifting, never checking the time, and never tempted to look away from the screen for even a moment. It's a film where every moment works and where everyone, and I mean everyone, brings their A-game.
We're introduced to Perfidia Beverly Hills (a badass Teyana Taylor), a member of the revolutionary group French 75 alongside partner "Ghetto" Pat (Leonardo DiCaprio). For those who remember, the Weather Underground will come to mind. Anti-fascists by any means necessary, French 75 raids migrant camps and other institutions representing the ever-increasing presence of fascism in the United States. Early on, her sexual humiliation of "Lockjaw" (Sean Penn) will have consequences that ripple throughout the film.
The long and short of the set-up is that a traumatized Perfidia abandons Pat, now going by Bob Ferguson, along with baby Willa. Bob takes Willa and raises her in hiding. We flash forward 16 years and now Bob has gone from revolutionary to drug-addled wreck. Willa (newcomer Chase Infiniti) is unaware of the past that created her and yet getting closer and closer to paying a price for it.
One Battle After Another is an undeniably political film, anti-fascist to its core and grounded in what most revolutionaries would call mutual aid principles. It's also fiercely funny and driven by DiCaprio's magnificent performance weaving together a tapestry of top-notch physical comedy, surprising sweetness, and spot-on comic timing. This is a film that needed someone the caliber of DiCaprio to pull it off and DiCaprio absolutely delivers in what should be considered one of his best performances to date.
The same is true for Sean Penn. Penn's "Lockjaw" could have so easily been a caricature and yet Penn finds every brilliant nuance. Chase Infiniti makes a name for herself in this debut, the native Hoosier capturing Willa's genetic bravado yet also her youthful vulnerability.
Lensing by Michael Bauman captures every moment sublimely from action-packed car sequences to intimate character interactions to the often hilarious comedy that somehow plays perfectly every single time.
Then, there's Jonny Greenwood's original score that somehow plays along with every emotional rhythm and narrative twist and turn. Greenwood's guitar and piano-driven score never dominates and yet still feels like an extra character in this mighty fine ensemble.
In the end, One Battle After Another manages to feel like a hopeful film without necessarily giving us the usual Hollywood happy ending. There's a certain heroism in the characters who are showing up and showing out, doing what they can for others no matter the price. I laughed. I learned. I reflected. Yes, I cried. There are no easy solutions here served up. There's just an unsentimental belief that there's always another generation to continue the fight and as long as we keep showing up for one another there's hope that one day we'll get there.
Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic
