Whether it’s intentional or not, the timeliness of Paul Thomas Anderson‘s latest film can’t be denied. Rarely does the American director make films set in the present day (his filmography is filled with period pieces) so One Battle After Another, with its themes of oppression and rebellion, feel particularly aimed at the current state of politics. It’s especially relevant in today’s world where conflict is currency and fascism seems to be getting more commonplace, but ultimately, this is a father-daughter story intertwined with the fight against injustice. Loosely based on Thomas Pynchon’s novel Vineland, Anderson has created an epic adventure that grips you from the very beginning and barely slows down until the end.

One Battle After Another opens with an explosive prologue, where a faction of revolutionaries known as the French 75 is conducting an operation to break out detained immigrants at the U.S.-Mexico border. As they round up officers, Perfidia Beverly Hills (Teyana Taylor) finds the commanding officer Colonel Steven J. Lockjaw (Sean Penn) and sexually humiliates him. Somehow this causes Lockjaw, an avowed white supremacist, to develop a weird sexual obsession with Perfidia, stalking her every step of the way. She falls in love with fellow member and bomb expert “Ghetto” Pat (Leonardo DiCaprio) and the two eventually have a child together.

But Perfidia realizes she’s too independent for domestic life, and her increasing recklessness in her mission leads to her getting captured by Lockjaw. As he continues to hunt the rest of the French 75 members, “Ghetto” Pat and his daughter are forced to live in hiding and assume new identities as Bob and Willa Ferguson.

16 years later, Willa (Chase Infiniti) is now a teenager and Bob has become a paranoid stoner and an overprotective single father, who spends most of his days fuzzily reminiscing his heyday as a revolutionary. Although still loyal to the cause, having spent an extended time in hiding has dwindled the flame inside him. He barely remembers the old codes and rendezvous points of his former group, which would especially come in handy when Lockjaw unexpectedly comes rushing out of the past and back into their lives.

Running at almost three hours, One Battle After Another never feels like a drag, but it does feel like one extensive panic attack. It’s a relentless film, and the anxious, unsettling energy in the film’s action sequences and unique car chase climax showcases Anderson’s capabilities in building suspense and tension. Of course, the director’s comedic sensibilities are also present. One of my favorite sequences involves Bob getting frustrated with a customer service representative of an underground hotline, while in the middle of trying to escape from a military siege with the help of Willa’s Karate teacher Sergio St. Carlos (played by a delightful Benicio del Toro). It’s a highly tense and intricate scene, but the sprinkles of humor had me burst out laughing.

Bob Ferguson might be one of my favorite characters DiCaprio has played, and he imbues perfect comedic timing in his memorable performance as a middle-aged man who now has to balance being a radical and raising a child. His relationship with Infiniti, who’s shown she can be a future star in her film debut, is the heart that glues the story together. But I bet it’s Sean Penn’s Lockjaw that will leave a mark in everyone’s minds. His best work in years, Penn finely blurs the line between real and cartoonish, masking Lockjaw’s inner insecurities with cold villainy and oozing machismo. Although he makes a caricature of fascists, the scary part is we all know those people exist.

I can’t help but think that One Battle After Another is Anderson’s answer to how dystopian world governments are becoming. The film touches on dark themes but it’s surprisingly optimistic as well, giving a spotlight on people involved in the never-ending fight for humanity. And while these people may come and go, there’s comfort and hope in knowing there will always be a new generation that will keep the flame burning.

Rating:

Rating: 5 out of 5.