One Battle After Another Review – The Revolution has been Televised

One Battle After Another is superb – A frenetic blend of topical substance, surreal adventure and quirky humour

Revolutionaries? Rebels? Freedom fighters or terrorists? However you classify them, there have always been those idealists who stand up and take direct action when they see what they deem to be unfairness in society. While many ‘regular’ folks may disagree with their methods, most still hold a level of admiration for their commitment to their course, even at the expense of their livelihoods or their own lives.

One Battle After Another tells the story of one such fictional group, The French 75. During an unspecified period in American history, they took it upon themselves to fight the inhumane detention of immigrants and what they perceived to be corrupt and unfair practices by the government. This is not achieved by flags and protests but by the direct action of guns and explosives.

Committing crimes like bank robberies are all acceptable forms of fighting back by the group as the funds are used to rearm themselves, support the immigrants they rescue and maintain the complex systems of checks and passwords they use to keep themselves safe and off government radars. After one job goes particularly bad, the group find themselves separated, disbanded, on the run and in hiding.

One Battle After Another is directed by acclaimed director Paul Thomas Anderson (There Will Be Blood), based on the novel ‘Vineland’ by Thomas Pynchon. It’s described as a comedy/adventure. Still, i found it more akin to a dramatic thriller due to the heavy topics it tackles – from white supremacy, objectification of black women, parental alienation, dysfunctional father/daughter relationships and a loss of purpose/self. It might not sound like there is much to laugh about here, but where the film tries to be funny/comical, it does so intentionally and very successfully.

The ensemble cast here is led by Leonardo DiCaprio,  playing Bob Ferguson, aka the rocket man. He provided explosives and celebratory/distraction fireworks when they completed a mission. His performance is far from the cool, controlled DiCaprio we are used to seeing in movies and more reminiscent of the later parts of The Wolf of Wall Street, where he’s paranoid, confused and dealing with the after effects of years of drug abuse. Leonardo gives a great, engaging performance, matched only by Hollywood veteran Sean Penn, who arguably steals the show, especially in the latter part of the film.

From his walk, to his physical ticks to some of the great lines he delivers. He manages to be both the villain of the film and its comic relief. Sean Penn plays Bob’s nemesis, Col Steven Lockjaw, a no-nonsense army man with a secret sexual fetish for black women.

Col Lockjaw rose through the ranks and gained notoriety as the man who brought down the notorious terrorist group the French 75. 16 years later, he’s offered a dream position in the ‘Christmas club’ (yes, you ready right), which is an elite club for ‘Superior’ human beings. Once in, you are at the top of American society, affecting politics, policy and society from up on high.

One of the requirements is that he is pure of contact with other races. Bob Ferguson and his daughter Willa (Chase Infiniti) are the remaining members of French 75 who could expose Lockjaw’s past secret indiscretions and destroy his ambitions. So he sets about finding them to close that particular loophole.

One Battle After Another is a blend of film genres, at times feeling like it’s in three parts. The first part with the revolutionaries feels like a heist movie, with elaborate plans and explosions, similar to Ocean’s 11 or Heat, where you root for the bad guys to get away. The middle is a lot slower, a father/daughter drama, where we see what happens to a surviving fighter when the revolution has failed.

Trying to live a normal life, remembering what you once stood for, but really an echo of one’s former self. The third act then becomes more of an action-adventure piece, akin to Taken, with Bob frantically searching for his daughter, culminating in an ever-changing cat-and-mouse car chase on the desert’s open roads.

The sound design was occasionally eerie, even sometimes obstructive, possibly to add to the sense of unease. At times, I found the dialogue inaudible, due to the sound imbalance (though I’m not completely sure whether that was by design or the screen we were viewing it in). There was a grain-like filter on the images, which gave the feeling we were watching video footage from a war zone, which ties in with the life of both the revolutionaries and the army being in a never-ending battle.

I thoroughly enjoyed the changing elements of One Battle After Another. Do I think things could have been blended better? Yes, I do. Unlike other critics I’ve heard, this is not my film of the year. There are issues I have with certain inconsistencies in the plotline and tone, which brought me out of the experience at times. But none of that stops this from being a great film. I feel the female cast could have been better utilised, as apart from Chase Infiniti,  they didn’t really resonate,  even in supporting characters’ roles.

Character Posters

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Chase Infinit made her feature debut in this film, having previously appeared in the Apple TV series ‘Presumed Innocent‘, and she has definitely cemented herself as a name to watch in the future. Also of note is Benicio Del Toro as Sergio, Willa’s martial arts instructor and Bob’s ‘Sensei’. While not as quirky as some of his other characters, Del Toro still manages to make a charming, unforgettable impression with this role.

One Battle After Another is a superb, surreal blend of frenetic style, substance and humour that, while hugely enjoyable and entertaining, falls quite short of greatness. A highly recommended watch, but not essential.  It arrives in Cinemas on September 26th. Trailer