'One Battle After Another' movie review: One battle, endless chaos

After the not so delectable 'Licorice Pizza' (2021), Paul Thomas Anderson comes roaring back with 'One Battle After Another'. Based on Thomas Pynchon’s novel Vineland, it follows Leonardo DiCaprio stumbling into a revolution, losing his way more than once, and fighting for his daughter through chaos, comedy and bullets.

The story begins at Otay Mesa, where activist group French 75 storms an immigration detention centre. Their leader Perfidia Beverly Hills (Teyana Taylor) humiliates Colonel Steven Lockjaw (Sean Penn) in front of his men, sparking an obsession that fuels the story.

Sixteen years later Bob Ferguson (DiCaprio) is no longer a fiery revolutionary but a weary single father, raising his daughter Willa (Chase Infiniti) while still entangled in the struggle. When Lockjaw’s forces close in again, Bob leans on allies like Deandra (Regina Hall) and martial arts sensei Sergio St Carlos (Benicio del Toro) to keep Willa safe. Anderson frames each clash as both political spectacle and personal reckoning.

Leonardo DiCaprio slips easily into Bob, balancing weariness with flashes of raw emotion, while Chase Infiniti shines as Willa. Sean Penn is unhinged and unforgettable as Lockjaw, chewing every scene with reptilian menace. Benicio del Toro, as expected, is terrific as Sergio, blending sly humour with grounded wisdom and lifting every scene he appears in. Teyana Taylor adds fire as Perfidia, while Regina Hall gives sturdy support as Deandra.

With Anderson’s sharp screenplay, Michael Bauman’s sweeping VistaVision frames, and Jonny Greenwood’s score pounding like an anxious piano, the film never lets up. This is Anderson in full flow, mixing political bite with pulpy fun and grounding it in a tender father–daughter story. One battle after another, he delivers a film that fights, flares and refuses to be forgotten.