A former revolutionary, who has spent the last 16 years vegetating in hiding, is forced to get off his couch in order to find his missing daughter, while also avoiding the government forces that are hunting them both.
Following his very separate desires to adapt Thomas Pynchon's Vineland, and to make an action movie, Paul Thomas Anderson has somehow combined the two, and in the process created something quite brilliant. One Battle After Another is, for the most part, exactly what the title suggests; with many of the movie's main characters battling their way through a series of obstacles and challenges. And yet it is so much more. The movie has a lot to say about immigration policy in present day USA, and battling oppression. But at its heart it is the story of two peoples' fight for survival, and a father's desperate attempts - no matter how comical - to find his daughter.
The whole thing is set in this crazy alternate world, but one not too different from our own. It's as if Anderson is trying to warn us that this is what we could become, and it really isn't too much of a stretch. Early scenes centre around an immigration detention centre on the US/Mexico border, which is where the revolutionary group 'French 75' comes in, as they are looking to put an end to such measures, by any means necessary. Teyana Taylor delivers a strikingly militant performance as 'Perfidia Beverly Hills'. Later when the group are in hiding, we see government forces essentially invading a town as they hunt them down. These scenes, as shocking as they are, also have a worrying degree of familiarity to them.
All of which proves rather terrifying for DiCaprio's 'Bob Ferguson', who is hilariously underprepared for... pretty much everything. DiCaprio's performance is brilliantly multifaceted. On the one hand he is hilarious as this washed-up has-been, desperately trying to evade government forces. His struggles with remembering passwords and charging cellphones are constant sources of humour. But he also brings a terrifying relatability to a parent struggling to find his missing child. Frantic, you could say. All of which is complemented by Jonny Greenwood's jarring score, the jangly tune keeping you on edge, just like Bob. You get the sense that there aren't many things that will get Bob off his couch these days, but finding his daughter Willa (Chase Infiniti in an incredible feature debut) is definitely one of them. Well, that and avoiding Colonel Steven J. Lockjaw (Sean Penn).
Penn does something rather curious with the movie's big bad, and the face of government oppression in this alternate universe. He makes Lockjaw both scary and an amusing oddity. There's no denying his capabilities or his ruthlessness, but there's also a strange sense of awkwardness to the not so good Colonel, especially when he's out of uniform or around people he looks up to - watch out for his interactions with the 'Christmas Adventurers Club'. He even walks like he has something inserted in a rather uncomfortable place. It is a stellar performance, one among many in this movie, with Penn making him exactly as terrifying as Bob and his pals see him. In fact, there are only two people throughout the entire movie who really stand up to him, Willa and Perfidia, and the effect they have on him is as glorious as it is fascinating.
Seeing Chase Infiniti as Willa stand up to Lockjaw is particularly affecting, not only because she is going up against a powerhouse actor in her feature debut, and killing it. Willa, in some way, represents the resistance between generations, the drive to break norms and challenge authority when it is unjust. Her character also has a lot to say about the use of violence, and seeking out a better way to fight for change. But this is also an action movie, and Anderson brings his own quirky style - along with his sense of humour - to the genre. Seeing Perfidia firing a machine gun that's rested on her baby bump being a perfect example. The movie is essentially one big chase, and the rather frazzled Bob's journey is this hysterical comedy of errors from beginning to end, his exhaustion almost palpable. So much so that you begin to question whether Willa will actually need her father's help.
Along the way Bob gets himself into a lot of trouble, and meets some rather interesting people. None more so than Benecio del Toro's 'Sergio St. Carlos', Willa's Karate teacher and a player in the underground. Sergio is the complete opposite of Bob, in fact he's oddly chilled in the face of Lockjaw's actions in their small California town, and his scenes are often the most fun. Seeing Sergio share a "Vive la révolution" salute with Bob as he descends into a secret tunnel is a particular highlight. Thankfully, Anderson manages to blend this delightful humour with the urgency and danger of the situation, making it closer to real life than you'd expect. It's not difficult to imagine a scenario like this playing out in our world, not to mention a few others. That sense of reality adds tension not only to an already tense situation, but also to the action. All of which culminates in a gripping car chase through the desert, that sees Anderson playing with perspective in some wonderfully creative ways.
Paul Thomas Anderson took two very separate dreams and made them one. The result is One Battle After Another. A relentless chase movie that will shock you with its brutality, as it essentially holds up a mirror to our world, and terrify you as a man goes through hell trying to find his daughter. But it will also have you in stitches as said man crashes and falls apart at almost every obstacle.
10/10
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