Entering into Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest, One Battle After Another, I didn’t know what to expect. The trailer appears somewhat disjointed, not only in tone but also in terms of plot and character development. Thankfully, this was one of those times when the trailer does the right amount to make an audience member intrigued, because this is a film that is bewildering, bonkers, and absolutely brilliant.

Bob is a member of a left-wing revolutionary group that splintered off after his partner, Perfidia, was caught by the police. Alone with their daughter, Bob goes into hiding. 16 years later, ruthless Colonel Lockjaw is out to find Bob and his daughter.

It would be wrong of me to reveal too much of the plot, as the joy of this movie lies in watching events unfold before you. Anderson, who has given us such gems in the past as Boogie Nights, There Will Be Blood and Licorice Pizza, has created a film for our time, which speaks volumes about the political unrest in America, but also a cracking action film that has one of the most unnerving and simplistic car chases ever put to celluloid.

The film begins with an introduction to this revolutionary group, which aims to release migrants from prison camps protected by the army, including Colonel Lockjaw. Filled with paranoia, the group is readily prepared for capture, with secret code messages to prove their identity, analogue trackers, and no mobile phones. They are doing good for society, yet they fear the authorities, spending their lives looking over their shoulders.

Anderson allows us plenty of room to explore Bob and Perfidia’s relationship and the female revolutionary’s secret until she is captured and is hidden in protective custody for information. This leads Bob and his baby daughter to go into hiding, where he has become a slacker, drug-taking drunk, while she has grown up to be a well-rounded young lady who never knew her mother but knows just how paranoid her father is.

Anderson’s film is 20 minutes short of three hours, yet it crackles along at a brisk pace, with the second half becoming almost an extended chase sequence as Bob’s daughter is sent into hiding when Lockjaw reappears on the scene. His use of camera work is always impressive, and here he really does himself proud, with a car chase along a river of road that is full of hills, then placing the camera so close to the tarmac that you feel almost sick from the rise and fall as the cars move over the road.

To add to the film’s confusion, Anderson incorporates a superb and often unsettling score by Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood, with one sequence lasting 20 minutes of high-pitched piano notes that become increasingly annoying. Yet, it complements the chaos of the dark streets, where Bob, with the help of Sensei Sergio St. Carlos, tries to escape the authorities closing in on them.

As with all of Anderson’s films, he gets the best performances from his actors. Leonardo DiCaprio is excellent as Bob, who spends his time living on the edge, not helped by his drug taking, but is brimming with paranoia. Benicio del Toro gives a decent supporting performance as the Sensei, while newcomer Chase Infiniti has a definite future after her performance as Wilma, Bob’s daughter. Yet it is Sean Penn as Lockjaw who steals the film. A screen presence like no other, he excels with his military stiffness and pure evil intentions, while full of tics and possibly the most sinister walk. If Penn isn’t nominated for an award, it will be a massive surprise.

One Battle After Another may not be the easiest film to get to grips with, but it certainly is the most satisfying in a very long time, and I would say that not only is this one of Paul Thomas Anderson’s finest to date, but this could be the film of the year.

5 out of 5

Director: Paul Thomas Anderson

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Benicio del Toro, Chase Infiniti, Regina Hall, Teyana Taylor, Wood Harris, Alana Haim, Shayana McHayle, Eric Schweig, Tony Goldwyn

Written by Paul Thomas Anderson and (based on the novel “Vineland”) Thomas Pynchon

Running Time: 161 mins

Cert: 15

Release date: 26th September 2025