DiCaprio and Penn engage in one helluva ‘Battle’
The very fact that it’s a Paul Thomas Anderson creation makes “One Battle After Another” a movie that stands apart. Dare I say, an event, a must-see for every critic and film buff alike. And since its premiere earlier this month, the praise has been effusive, with some hailing it not just Anderson’s best, but one of the finest flicks ever made. But I beg to differ, perhaps because all the hype elevated my expectations. So, excuse me if I’m not all in.
Still, let me state unequivocally that “One Battle After Another” is a highly entertaining satire that raises the question of what has become of the United States in the era of MAGA. It also features a trio of superb performances by Leonardo DiCaprio, Teyana Taylor and especially Sean Penn, as well as one of the most original and thrilling car chases I’ve seen in quite some time. But it’s hardly a landmark achievement. It’s funny, unpredictable and at times, chilling. But not extraordinary.
It’s also bound to be a challenge for folks whose politics lean to the right, and/or those who like to be led by the hand. Even I had trouble with the disjointed structure of the first 30 minutes, as Anderson adopts a deliberative pace, introducing his characters and setting the scene for the intense action to come. So, patience is required initially, as is your undivided attention.
You’ll also notice hints of Tarantino in a series of early vignettes in which we meet DiCaprio’s “Ghetto” Pat Calhoun and Taylor’s Perfidia Beverly Hills, leading members of the domestic terrorist group, French 75. They are also passionate lovers who seem to thrive on their shared lust for anarchy. We meet them on their most daring mission yet, which involves an elaborate plot to free hundreds of refugees imprisoned on the U.S.-Mexican border and lorded over by Penn’s Col. Steven J. Lockjaw.
The dialogue exchanged is crisp, crackling and rife with braggadocio, as Perfidia and Lockjaw come face to face. The former encounters the latter napping, grabs his gun and cap and orders him to “get it up.” A devout racist with an antithetical predilection for Black women, Lockjaw gladly obeys, leading to a tryst that leaves Perfidia pregnant. “Ghetto” assumes the baby is his, and he and Perfidia give domesticity a brief go. But as Perfidia’s mother astutely points out, her daughter is a runner and “Ghetto” is a stone. So, on their separate ways they go, with Dad taking custody of Baby Willa and joining the French 75’s version of witness protection.
We then jump ahead 16 years to the present, with “Ghetto” reduced to being a slovenly, “reefer-addicted” layabout papa going by the pedestrian moniker of Bob. He’s paranoid about Willa’s friends, whom he calls “homies” and explicitly forbids his daughter from owning a cell phone. But even the finest of foolproof plans can be laid to waste by the persistence of Col. Lockjaw, who has the extra incentive to seek and destroy Perfidia, Bob and Willa. For they, and the secrets they hold, are the only things standing between him and realizing his dream of joining the white supremacist group, Christmas Adventurers Club, and the special privilege of uttering its silly “Hail, St. Nick” salute.
That’s all I’ll say about the plot, other than that “One Battle After Another” transitions into a more traditional chase tale, albeit bearing the quirky earmarks of that other filmmaking Anderson, Wes. “Goofy” doesn’t begin to describe it. And rendered even more bizarre by the introduction of a never-better Benicio Del Toro as the hilariously dubbed Sensei Sergio St. Carlos, a mellow sort of martial arts instructor/fixer charged with preventing Bob from falling prey to Lockjaw. He’s a riot, drawing heavily on the deadpan technique he mastered under the tutelage of Wes Anderson on the sets of “The French Dispatch” and “The Phoenician Scheme.”
He’s a certified scene-stealer, but even he is no match for Penn, who hasn’t been this good in years. As the taciturn Col. Lockjaw, Penn is clearly having a ball playing the muscle-headed, muscle-bound military officer who always gets his man, or woman. Never cracking a smile, his Lockjaw is the personification of hypocrisy and self-righteousness, not unlike Trump ally, Gen. Mike Flynn. He is in full alpha mode on duty, but a simpering sycophant in the presence of Tony Goldwyn’s perfectly cast Virgil Throckmorton, the leader of the Christmas Adventurers Club.
You’ll also spot Regina Hall, Kevin Tighe, Wood Harris and Anderson’s “Licorice Pizza” star, Alana Haim, amid this marvelous cast. But you’ll likely walk away most impressed by newcomer Chase Infiniti as the irrepressible Willa. She’s a natural, who, like DiCaprio, is presented with multiple opportunities to flex her physicality and engage in subtle humor, especially when she’s behind the wheel of one of the triad of speeding vehicles during a pivotal pursuit that redefines the Hollywood car chase. It rivals the out-of-control truck scene in “Licorice Pizza” in both its genius and audacity.
As in that picture, the production values are outstanding, and the score by Jonny Greenwood (his fifth for PTA) is as hypnotic as it is evocative. I also admired the sleek look of the movie, shot in VistaVision, just like last year’s Best Picture nominee, “The Brutalist.” But none of that is as significant as the message Anderson seeks to convey about the sorry state of our democracy and how our basic human rights are currently under threat from rich white guys whose lack of acceptance of minorities and women is shameful at best. Even if these bastards get what they have coming, it’s depressing knowing there’s another bigot just like them waiting to assume their role.
Nonetheless, “One Battle After Another” is a brief respite from the daily angst experienced by a populace unsure of what’s to become of our once great nation. Through humor and pure chutzpah, Anderson hopes to spur you toward awareness and action. Like I said, it’s a fantastic movie, although nowhere near Anderson’s best. But given the times we’re living in, we’ll gladly absorb it. And maybe, even one day, come to cherish it.
Movie review
One Battle After Another
Rated: R for pervasive language, drug use, sexual content, violence
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Benicio Del Toro, Teyana Taylor, Regina Hall, Chase Infiniti and Tony Goldwyn
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Writer: Paul Thomas Anderson
Runtime: 161 minutes
Where: Currently in theaters
Grade: B
