Based on the 1990 novel, Vineland, written by Thomas Pynchon, One Battle After Another is a black comedy action thriller written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. The film stars       Leonardo DiCaprio, Teyana Taylor, Chase Infiniti, Sean Penn, and Benicio del Toro and is now showing in cinemas worldwide.

Bob Ferguson and Perfidia Beverly Hills are lovers and former revolutionaries with French 75, a militia group focusing on rescuing prisoners from internment camps. They leave that life behind after the birth of their daughter, Willa and focus on being a family, but life hasn’t been easy for them, and Bob develops a drug and alcohol addiction over the years. Colonel Lockjaw, an enemy from their revolutionary days, resurfaces, and Willa, now in her late teens, becomes his target.

Lockjaw is also someone Perfidia had a sexual relationship with, which helped her gain certain favours that allowed French 75 to complete their missions. This raises suspicion that Lockjaw could be the biological father of Willa, who, being a half black child, could hurt his potential position in the government. Bob must do what it takes to protect Willa by reconnecting with his fellow ex-revolutionaries.

Leonardo DiCaprio stars as Bob Ferguson and portrays him at different stages of his life. From his wild renegade days as a revolutionary, to being a young parent and as an old, overly protective parent to his teenage daughter due to his paranoia and the possibility that enemies from his past will catch up to him, which led to him developing a drug and alcohol addiction. DiCaprio gets to showcase a wide range of his acting ability as a single character.

When Bob was young, he was wild and reckless, but always fought for those less fortunate. In the current day, his younger years are clearly behind him as he’s shown struggling to keep up, which also leads to some funny and awkward interactions when talking to Willa’s friends. His paranoia adds to his personality, showing that he’s prepared for anything by keeping a low profile when out in public, living in a house out in the woods, always looking out for potential threats and not allowing Willa to own a smartphone because it can be tracked.

He has fantastic onscreen chemistry with Teyana Taylor, who portrays Perfidia Beverly Hills. Teyana may not get as much screen time as the rest of the main cast, but she still gets to do quite a lot and leave a lasting impression to make her character a vital part of the story. When Bob and Perfidia were revolutionaries, they had a Bonnie and Clyde dynamic, unafraid to show off their affection for one another while carrying out their missions.

After Willa was born, her mental state started to change, and she began to doubt herself. Teyana’s performance shows that even a strong and independent woman can feel low about themselves, because while Bob was able to move on from their revolutionary days and focus on raising a family, she’s still holding onto the past.

Sean Penn plays Colonel Steven J. Lockjaw, a soldier who was part of the military running the internment camps. He also has an unhealthy and perverted obsession with Perfidia, even though it’s frowned upon for white men to be with black women.

Perfidia uses this to her advantage, leading to them having a sexual relationship, so he’ll allow her to get away with anything she wants. Lockjaw isn’t afraid to risk his position in the military just to get his rocks off with Perfidia and is able to cover his tracks, but things become complicated after finding out several years later that she had a daughter, and he decides to use all his resources to hunt them down.

Sean Penn is one of the finest actors who hasn’t had the most memorable roles in recent years, but this is one of his best yet. He is ruthless, selfish and easy to hate, and Penn’s performance pushes the envelope to make Colonel Lockjaw one of the most hated villains in cinema history. You really want to see this man get what’s coming to him.

Chase Infiniti portrays Willa Ferguson, the daughter of Bob and Perfidia and the possible biological daughter of Colonel Lockjaw. Even though she wasn’t born during the best of circumstances, she still gets to have a good life, achieve a lot in school, do extracurricular activities and have great friends.

A lot of this was possible because of Bob’s paranoia and his making sure to eliminate every possibility of them being found by his past enemies. Chase Infiniti is a fairly new actress with only one TV role prior to this film, and without giving too much away about what happens to her later in the movie, her performance is one of the biggest standouts amongst the cast, and she shows that she is more than just a damsel in distress. This will easily be her breakout role, and it’ll be exciting where she goes next.

The film also stars Benicio del Toro as Sergio St. Carlos, Regina Hall as Deandra, Alana Haim as Mae West, Wood Harris as Laredo, Shayna McHayle as Junglepussy and Tony Goldwyn as Virgil Throckmorton, just to name a few. All the supporting characters get to have memorable moments, have their place in the film and play important parts in the overall story.

With Paul Thomas Anderson in the director’s chair, audiences will know they’re in for a wild ride. The trailers may imply that this is an action film, but it is much more than that. The beginning has elements of Bonnie and Clyde, while the main characters rescue prisoners from internment camps, the middle is about a couple struggling to adjust to their new lifestyle while raising their daughter, and the latter portion puts more focus on that daughter and her developing story.

The overall setting shows a grim version of America that no one in their right mind would want to live in, which ironically does reflect a lot of what’s happening in the real world, and that’s a scary thought.

The film has a runtime of 2 hours and 50 minutes, which might make moviegoers hesitant about sitting through a long movie since so many long films tend to drag on too much, but One Battle After Another is one of the best examples that makes the most of the time it has. With its extended time, it allows the film to expand on various story elements without cutting corners.

A few scenes might feel like they drag on a bit, but nothing feels unnecessary and wasted just to fill in time. There might be a few questions left unanswered in the story, but for the most part, it doesn’t leave any stone unturned and watching the film again will likely answer those questions.

Certain scenes have that signature Paul Thomas Anderson style, showing how characters think and plan to overcome obstacles without dialogue or anything needing to be explained. As they say, actions speak louder than words. These scenes will have audiences engaged, knowing what’s on the characters’ minds and the anticipation of seeing if the plan can be executed.

One Battle After Another is a big film with a big story to tell, and the long runtime allows it to explore all the important elements without anything feeling like it shouldn’t be there. Even with the time skips, nothing ever feels rushed, and it gets audiences straight to the next big part of the story that focuses on three different stages of the characters’ lives. The main cast all deliver brilliant performances with their characters, whether you love them, hate them or question their morals and decisions and the supporting cast all play important roles too. One Battle After Another isn’t just a movie; it’s an experience.

Written by: Sammy Hanson