Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
What Is One Battle After Another About?
One Battle After Another is a dark comedy action-thriller about a former revolutionary activist who has tried to leave his radical past behind and live quietly while raising his daughter under a new identity. When a ruthless military officer who happens to be an old enemy from his earlier days reappears and threatens his family, Bob is forced back into the dangerous world he once fought in. As he searches for and tries to protect his daughter, he reconnects with other former revolutionaries and confronts the consequences of their past political battles. The film blends intense action with satire and explores themes such as political extremism, family loyalty, and how the choices people make in their youth can come back to shape their lives years later.
My Personal Thoughts:
(Possible Spoilers)
This movie was a wild ride. Bob (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Perfidia (Teyana Taylor) were a part of the French 75 as political activists, and years after leaving their old lives, they try to restart once they have a daughter. Bob lives with his daughter under a new identity, and Perfidia is hiding out after being caught and having to betray her comrades to avoid a life sentence. DiCaprio gives a stellar performance and captivates not only with the movie’s best humor but also with tense scenes throughout his on-screen time. Bob lives as a very paranoid and overprotective father, and his entire goal now is to live in secrecy while protecting his daughter, until Colonel Steven Lockjaw (Sean Penn) tries to hunt him and his daughter down. Sean Penn balances his role as a disturbing, menacing character arc with a pursuit of superiority, both of which are important to the film.
I’ll admit I wasn’t sure I would like this film for the first 30 minutes. The opening felt slow, and the French 75 revolutionaries felt too over the top. At around the 45-minute mark, when things start to pick up in intensity, I was hooked from that point on until the credits. The score in this movie was stellar. It was simple, yet effective. Anytime there was a car chase scene or a hunt down, a simple piano score would begin, and from the moment it starts and you recognize it the second time, it’s expected to be a crazy scenario. The car chase scenes in particular were shot in a very neat manner with awesome angles and close-ups, which spices up a very popular action trope in movies, but did not feel repetitive or unnecessary. I also enjoyed the dynamic we got with Bob’s daughter, Willa, and Deandra. This felt like it needed to have another character act as a focal point for a time in the film, and not knowing the motives and reasoning behind certain situations in the moment was an entertaining aspect.
Now, with all the good this movie presents, there are a couple of negatives I have to point out. Even though each character was entertaining in their own way, it felt like a movie that had a hard time connecting you to a hero figure. It’s hard to root for the group of activists, knowing some of their deliberate actions, but it is also hard to root for the elitist group for the same reasons. One Battle After Another does give off a sense that it wants us to pick a side between the two groups. I have a general sense that I want to come to movies for more of an escapism, so this was a downside, as it seems to build upon our already complex political culture. The ending was also not completely satisfying, but not in a way that ruins the film in any sense.
The Big Academy Winner of 2025
One Battle After Another won 6 Oscars at the 98th Academy Awards held on March 15, 2026.
It won the following Academy Awards:
- Best Picture
- Best Director – Paul Thomas Anderson
- Best Supporting Actor – Sean Penn
- Best Adapted Screenplay – Paul Thomas Anderson
- Best Film Editing
- Best Casting
Overall, it was the most-awarded film of the ceremony.
Movie Stub Rating
One Battle After Another is made to be seen on the big screen at the theatres. Writing this review was after my second watch, and this film ages just as well as the first time watching. There are so many interesting dynamics, great action scenes, unexpected comedy, and it feels like a complete journey from start to finish. There are only a few flaws regarding this movie in certain directions they could have gone, but this comes down to more personal preference instead of bad writing/directing. Was this movie 6 Oscar winning worthy? Possibly. I do think it is a bit overrated with the amount of praise it’s received, but it was still one of my favorites of 2025.
4/5
