Our J.P. give his take on “One Battle After Another,” the action thriller film starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Benicio del Toro, and Regina Hall.
One Battle After Another
Warner Bros. Pictures
- Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson
- Written by Paul Thomas Anderson
- Based on Vineland by Thomas Pynchon
- Produced by Adam Somner, Sara Murphy, Paul Thomas Anderson
- Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Benicio del Toro, Regina Hall, Teyana Taylor, Chase Infiniti
Studio Synopsis:
From Warner Bros. Pictures comes “One Battle After Another,” written, directed and produced by Paul Thomas Anderson and starring Academy Award and BAFTA winners Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn and Benicio Del Toro, and Regina Hall, Teyana Taylor and Chase Infiniti. Washed-up revolutionary Bob (DiCaprio) exists in a state of stoned paranoia, surviving off-grid with his spirited, self-reliant daughter, Willa (Infiniti). When his evil nemesis (Penn) resurfaces after 16 years and she goes missing, the former radical scrambles to find her, father and daughter both battling the consequences of his past.
J.P.’s Take:
The revolution will not be televised, so goes the battle cry spouted by activist / musician / poet Gil Scott-Heron, who made it a household anthem in the early 70s. Instead, “One Battle After Another” is a raucous film about a revolution inspired by the novel “Vineland” by author Thomas Pynchon, and its spirit feels like it’s ripped directly from the 1970s.
This piece serves as a dark satire of a contemporary movement, reflecting on today’s searing social and political climate. It cleverly critiques the absurdities and contradictions that often accompany such movements, while making it relevant to the issues we face today.
With such a timely film as this, we’re given an up-to-the-minute reminder that the powers that be are still at work and coming for immigrants, the LGBTQA community, and, of course, people of color. I loved the frenetic and volatile spirit of the opening scene, with a group of revolutionaries calling themselves the French 75. The first half kicks off with the group storming banks and government agencies, armed with bombs and heavy artillery.
On the back end, the subplot lends itself to a more personal story for “Ghetto” Pat Calhoun a.k.a Bob Ferguson (Leonardo DiCaprio), an ex-French 75 explosives expert, with the kidnapping of his daughter. In between times, we witness the life and times of these resistance fighters as we follow Calhoun, Perfidia Beverly Hills (Teyana Taylor), Deandra (Regina Hall), Junglepussy (Shayna McHayle), Laredo (Wood Harris), Mae West (Alana Haim), Talleyrand (Dijon Duenas), and Howard Sommerville a.k.a.Gringo Coyote and Billy Goat (Paul Grimstad), as they rage against the machine.
The moments with Calhoun in his later years, who searches for his daughter, create this film’s most emotional and comical scenes. What draws us into the situation altogether are the moments we witness in the aftermath of the French 75’s downfall. Now, years later, they’ve all gotten older and are trying to get on with their lives in a normal fashion. Yet, they’re still finding ways to pump out messages of empowerment to the masses, as their once-intense and fiery battle has simmered down to an ember.
They’re also still being hunted by the government, due to the return of their former enemy, Colonel Steven J. Lockjaw (Sean Penn), which makes for some tricky and nail-biting cat and mouse antics.
Along with Benicio del Toro as Sergio St. Carlos, a karate sensei and a leader of the undocumented community in Baktan Cross, there are striking performances by the entire cast, including the youngest face Chase Infiniti as Willa Ferguson / Charlene Calhoun, daughter of Pat.
“One Battle After Another” is an up-to-the-minute and striking reminder of how the war on immigration is being played out in the streets of our cities, and how the influence of white-nationalism plays a huge role in shaping the American culture. It’s also a parable of the plight of the revolutionary, who fights for justice, yet the fight can take its toll over the long haul.
“One Battle After Another” is certainly one of the kinetic and wildly entertaining action / comedy / thrillers I’ve watched in years. I truly enjoy it to the end.
Official Site: One Battle After Another
