One Battle After Another (2025) : Battles, Revolutions, and DiCaprio’s Dad-Era Glow: PTA Delivers a Wild Ride!

 

 

Some films arrive at the exact moment they need to, landing with the force of a well-aimed punch and the charm of an old friend showing up at your door with a bottle of wine. One Battle After Another is that kind of movie. Paul Thomas Anderson’s epic is messy, vibrant, hilarious, heart-stirring, and just the right amount of bizarre. It may not be PTA’s magnum opus, and for me personally it does not quite reach the dizzying heights of Sinners, but man, what a wild ride this is!

The film’s logline is simple but delicious: when a long-vanished nemesis resurfaces after sixteen years, a ragtag band of ex-revolutionaries reunite to rescue the kidnapped daughter of one of their own. Sounds straightforward enough, right? But this is PTA. What begins as a rescue mission quickly evolves into something wilder, stranger, and more resonant than anyone could expect. Beneath the gunfire, chases, and wild comedic beats is a deeply personal story about fathers, daughters, and the unshakable bonds of found family.

Let’s get this out of the way first. Leonardo DiCaprio is thriving. Fully, completely, joyfully thriving. This stage of his career—what I like to call his “dad-era”—suits him beautifully. Gone are the slick, clean-cut leading men. Instead, we get losers, burnouts, paranoid wrecks, and tragic clowns. And honestly? He’s never been better. There’s a scene where he sits alone, high out of his mind, mumbling to himself while spiraling into paranoia. It’s the kind of thing only a certain caliber of actor can pull off without it collapsing into camp, and Leo absolutely nails it. His character here is one of the most fun, most alive performances I’ve seen from him. He’s loving every second of playing someone this chaotic, and you can feel that joy radiating through the screen.

But it’s not just Leo’s show. The supporting cast is on fire, each one bringing their own crackling energy. Sean Penn is terrifying yet somehow pathetic, channeling the ridiculousness of white supremacy in a way that makes it both deeply scary and embarrassingly clownish. He feels like the devil operating in his own private movie, and I wouldn’t be surprised if awards buzz follows him for this. Then there’s Chase Infiniti, who is a revelation. She goes toe-to-toe with heavyweights and never once falters. Her presence is magnetic, her emotions raw, and she gives one of those breakout performances that makes you sit up and whisper, “Oh, she’s a star.” And while Benicio del Toro’s screen time is limited, he makes every second count. His performance is sharp, devastating, and memorable enough that I’d love to see him in the Supporting Actor race.

Now let’s talk about PTA’s craft. His direction here is precise and masterful, even when the story veers into total chaos. He juggles tone like a circus performer balancing flaming batons. One moment you’re howling with laughter, the next you’re clutching your seat in pure suspense, and then suddenly you’re misty-eyed over a tender father-daughter exchange. Few filmmakers can hold such multitudes without collapsing under the weight, but PTA does it with elegance and control.

The camera work is, frankly, insane. There’s a sequence toward the end on a road—what starts as a simple chase becomes something extraordinary. The way the camera moves, building tension and adrenaline, makes it feel less like a road and more like turbulent water. You’re not sure where the waves are taking you, what might be lurking just around the bend, or what might crash into you at any second. It’s simple. It’s elegant. And it elevates the entire sequence into something unforgettable.

One thing I especially loved was the choice not to subtitle the Spanish dialogue. Somehow, it just felt right. It forces you to lean into the world of the characters, to listen, to feel the rhythms of the language, even if you don’t understand every word. It adds authenticity, intimacy, and weight to the moments where Spanish is spoken. Gracias for that, PTA.

The screenplay is another triumph. It’s layered with humor, chaos, and sharp social commentary, yet it never forgets the beating heart at its center. Beneath all the revolutionary antics, this is a story about family. About the battles we fight one after another, whether on city streets, in political arenas, or quietly within ourselves. And while some of the revolutionary material did feel a little shallow or performative at times, the themes of immigration, white supremacy, and social unrest land with prophetic resonance. The film doesn’t just reflect our current political climate, it captures the absurdity and horror of it in a way that feels deeply relevant.

Yes, it’s long. At 162 minutes, this is not a breezy watch. But the pacing is so sharp that when the credits rolled, I found myself wishing it could keep going. There’s an energy coursing through the film that makes it addictive. You don’t want to leave these characters or this world. You want to stay in the chaos just a little bit longer.

The year 2025 has already been stacked with remarkable films, but this one feels like it sent everything over the top. To get One Battle After Another and Eddington in the same year, while America is in the middle of such political upheaval, is a gift. The timing could not be more perfect. It’s almost eerie, how much this film feels like it was made for this moment.

Did it hit the same level as Sinners for me? No. The conclusions it comes to feel slightly underwhelming, and tonally there are times when the film feels like it’s still figuring itself out. But honestly, who cares. You don’t see filmmaking like this every day. You don’t see writing and directing this alive, this playful, this precise.

By the end, I had laughed until my sides hurt, teared up more than once, clenched my fists in anger, and sat back in awe of the sheer audacity of it all. That’s the magic of a great film, it drags you through a gauntlet of emotions and leaves you grateful for the experience.

So here’s where I land. One Battle After Another may not be PTA’s ultimate masterpiece, but it’s undeniably one of the best films of the year. It’s exhilarating, timely, hilarious, heartbreaking, and anchored by unforgettable performances. It’s a movie that makes you want to shout “Viva la Revolución” as you walk out of the theater, energized and ready to face the world’s battles—one after another.