One Battle After Another

Please sign in to review.

• Nuwan Anuradha 2025-11-16 20:24:37

  One Battle After Another (2025) blasts open like a powerful, gut-punch of political action and personal reckoning, set in a fractured modern America where revolutionary pasts refuse to stay buried. Leonardo DiCaprio stars as Bob Ferguson, a former radical now living off-grid in the mountains, attempting to scrape together a quiet life with his teenage daughter Willa (Chase Infiniti). Years earlier, Bob was part of a fiery group of ex-revolutionaries known as the French 75, who violently challenged the establishment — until their cause fractured, betrayal ended the rebellion, and Bob disappeared, scarred by loss and disillusionment. Now, when his long-absent nemesis Colonel Steven Lockjaw (Sean Penn) resurfaces, Bob’s carefully constructed escape shatters, and he must pick up the pieces of a revolution he once believed changed the world. The film unfolds in kinetic, character-rich arcs that weave between action, suspense, and moral satire. Bob, haunted by his past, is forced back into a maelstrom of danger when Willa is kidnapped by operatives connected to Lockjaw’s renewed authoritarian regime. The rescue mission becomes more than a father-daughter reunion — it’s a reckoning for Bob’s generation. He must revisit old battlefields, reconnect with former allies, and confront the compromises made during the movement’s decline. Paul Thomas Anderson’s direction blends grand-scale action — explosive chases, clandestine hideouts, high-stakes infiltration — with tender, intimate moments: Bob teaching Willa archery, whispering about their old cause, and admitting his fear that he’s lost himself in the war he once loved. The ensemble cast deepens the emotional and ideological conflict: Benicio Del Toro plays Sensei Sergio, a former revolutionary-turned-mentor, cynical and wise; Teyana Taylor is Perfidia Beverly Hills, charismatic and dangerous, a radical whose hunger for change comes second to her hunger for power; Regina Hall appears as Deandra, a committed activist torn between moral purity and survival. These figures orbit Bob and Willa’s story, driving complex alliances, betrayals, and ideological battles with pulse-pounding momentum. Visually, the movie is spectacular. Anderson shoots in VistaVision and 70 mm, giving the film a grand, analog feel that echoes its themes of legacy, memory, and scale. Sunlit protest riots, smoky underground safe houses, and wide mountain landscapes create a cinematic contrast between the personal and the political. The film doesn’t shy away from humor either — Anderson weaves in satire about modern ideology, mass media, and the commodification of dissent, reminding viewers that revolutions are messy and moral purity is rare. As the final act explodes, Bob, Willa, Perfidia, and their allies confront Colonel Lockjaw in a massive showdown. It’s not just guns and fists — it’s a battle of ideas, faith, and who will define the future. Bob must decide if saving his daughter means reigniting the revolution, or finally letting go of the cause that nearly broke him. In a climactic confrontation, secrets revealed from 16 years ago reshape everything: old tactics, old promises, and old betrayals. The movie closes with Bob and Willa standing atop a ridge overlooking a modern city — their relationship battered, but their bond stronger — and a sense that their fight is not just personal but deeply political. The final shot lingers on them walking into sunrise, as new battles await, but they walk together.

  12 7