Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest film stands as one of the best movies of the year.
While watching One Battle After Another, I drew parallels to Eddington, Ari Aster’s newest film and Battle’s toughest competitor for best of 2025. Both movies deal with very similar subjects in very different ways, specifically ideas of radicalism and the state of political separation in America.
Characteristic of Aster (of Hereditary and Midsommar fame), Eddington portrays those themes bleakly, showing what the worst case scenario of political isolation and radicalism can look like. Battle, conversely, looks at these issues optimistically, leaving the audience with an ending that evokes hope in the future generation.
Anderson’s two-and-a-half-hour-plus film follows a gang of antifa revolutionaries, led by the charismatic Perfidia Beverly Hills (Teyana Taylor). After a bank robbery gone wrong, the group splits up, and Bob (Leonardo DiCaprio) retreats to a small secluded town with the daughter he and Perfidia were raising. Several years later, when Bob’s daughter (Chase Infiniti) is kidnapped, he embarks on a journey to save her.
Besides timeless stories, the best films of all time feature iconic characters. Battle is chock full of fully fleshed out, unique characters—every single one fun to watch, from DiCaprio’s aging stoner revolutionary to the silly and purely evil Colonel Lockjaw (Sean Penn) to the sage-like Sensei Sergio (Benicio Del Toro).
Each actor fully understands and embodies his or her character. I forgot I was watching a movie, even with its superstars.
The score is superb, and the cinematography stands out as exceptional, with a few scenes—notably a borderline psychedelic car chase—really blowing me away, reminding us of Anderson’s immense talent. I strongly recommend seeing it in a theatre.
One Battle After Another is a superbly funny father-daughter film wrapped in a political thriller. The “why” of the film is a bit unclear, however, with somewhat muddled themes which, if plainer, could elevate this good movie to a great one.
Editor’s Note: One Battle After Another is now playing at The SLO Film Center at the Palm Theatre.