Sometimes, you see a movie and know that it is going to change things. That’s what it felt like watching One Battle After Another. The Paul Thomas Anderson film stars Leonardo DiCaprio as a man working with the resistance, fighting back against the government alongside Perfidia Beverly Hills (Teyana Taylor).
Pat (DiCaprio) is an explosives expert who works with the French 75 to take on Lockjaw (Sean Penn), a man who wants nothing more than to dominate people and stop the resistance. Led by Perfidia, Pat along with women like Deandra (Regina Hall) all make their mission clear. But through a complicated woman’s decision, everything is flipped on its head and Pat is left with a new identity and a baby daughter to raise.
What makes One Battle After Another something special is that it allows its characters to grow and change in a way that feels authentic to what they’re going through. Anderson uses time to let the audience see how these people are affected by fighting for what they view as their freedom. Pat, who becomes Bob Ferguson, is a dad at the end of his rope, trying to raise Willa (Chase Infiniti) and keep her safe. All while Lockjaw is trying to keep up his warped (and racist) world view.
One Battle After Another walks a tight-rope that left me tense at times. I was afraid of how far it would lean one way or another or how it would play out. But Anderson found a way to make that rope thrilling and fascinating. Surprisingly humorous, what really works with this movie is the use of both DiCaprio and Benicio del Toro as Sensei Sergio.
The two bounce flawlessly back and forth and undercut the tensions of Willa’s storyline to make her pain pop in the midst of Sergio and Bob’s chaos.
This movie is made special by its female characters
When you hear that a movie stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, and Benicio del Toro, your first instinct is probably something about how great those three will be. And you’re right, they’re incredible and their roles as Pat/Bob, Lockjaw, and Sensei all elevate the overall tone and feel of One Battle After Another. But that wouldn’t matter if it wasn’t for the female characters carrying the weight of Anderson’s story.
Chase Infiniti’s performance as Willa, in her debut film, feels like she was always meant to be on screen. She dominates every scene she is in, holds her own against both DiCaprio and Penn, and flawlessly weaves nods to Taylor’s performance in with her own without making it too overwhelming.
Infiniti’s performance mixed with Hall’s brilliant moments as Deandra feel like they alone deserve all the praise for making the film the triumph that it is. And that’s before you even get into Taylor’s captivating take on the complicated Perfidia.
Perfidia is not a character that is easy to unpack. She’s complicated at best and she is always making a decision that baffles the audience but you understand why it works for her. She isn’t careful or caring and she isn’t the best mother, making everything about her jealous and her wants and desires. But what Taylor does in her brief moments as Perfidia is truly something magical.
You understand why the French 75 are captivated by her. Pat’s love for her and Lockjaw’s obsession are understandable. And Taylor manages to balance Perfidia’s hope for the French 75 with her more outlandish and complicated moves in such a way that you can see her point of view, no matter how baffling it is.
Anderson has something incredibly special with One Battle After Another and it is one you won’t want to miss.
(featured image: Warner Bros.)
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