Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest cinematic triumph, One Battle After Another, storms into theaters today, September 26, 2025, delivering a nearly three-hour rollercoaster of rebellion, betrayal, and raw human struggle. Inspired by Thomas Pynchon’s Vineland, this action-packed thriller, written over two decades, feels eerily prescient, tackling issues of immigration, racism, and systemic corruption with unflinching audacity.
From the opening scene, Anderson plunges viewers into the heart of a revolution led by the Weather Underground-inspired French 75 group. Teyana Taylor shines as Perfidia Beverly Hills, a fierce revolutionary who, alongside Leonardo DiCaprio’s radical explosives expert Bob Ferguson (aka Ghetto Pat), takes on corrupt systems with unrelenting fervor. “PTA doesn’t shy away from the truth,” Taylor told reporters. “He’s shaking the table, exposing what’s been ignored for too long.”
The French 75’s crusade is a spectacle of liberation—freeing undocumented detainees, dismantling corrupt political offices, and dispensing their own brand of justice. The ensemble cast, featuring musicians-turned-actors like Dijon Duenas, Alana Haim, and Shayna McHayle, alongside heavyweights Regina Hall and Wood Harris, brings electric energy to the screen. Their chemistry fuels the film’s chaotic yet captivating narrative.
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DiCaprio, reflecting on the film’s roots, noted its ties to the 1960s Weathermen, who fought for civil rights and against capitalism and the Vietnam War. “But it’s also about the collapse of those ideals,” he said. “It shows how extremism on any side can unravel progress.” His character, Bob, is a complex figure—devoted to the cause yet haunted by its consequences, especially when clashing with the film’s antagonist, Colonel Steven Lockjaw (Sean Penn), a racist and xenophobic figure hell-bent on crushing the group to bolster his own power.
The narrative leaps 16 years forward, finding Perfidia vanished and Bob living incognito as a paranoid, weed-smoking dad in a sanctuary city, raising his teenage daughter, Willa (newcomer Chase Infiniti). Their quiet life shatters when Lockjaw resurfaces, forcing them into a high-stakes game of survival. Infiniti, in her debut role, admitted the challenge of working alongside veterans like DiCaprio. “There were moments I doubted myself,” she said. “But the support from my castmates made me believe I could do this.”
Shot in the rare VistaVision format, a nod to classic cinema revived by films like The Brutalist, One Battle After Another is Anderson’s most ambitious and expensive project yet. The format’s crisp, larger-than-life visuals amplify the film’s intensity, while its improvisational scenes—particularly those between DiCaprio and Benicio del Toro, who plays karate instructor Sensei Sergio St. Carlos—add an unpredictable edge. Del Toro’s character, who runs a hideaway for undocumented migrants, embodies compassion that transcends politics. “Movies might not change the world,” del Toro mused, “but they can open doors to new perspectives.”
Anderson’s refusal to spoon-feed answers sets the film apart. Rather than pushing a single ideology, it holds a mirror to society’s fractures. “It’s about finding humanity in a divided world,” DiCaprio said, describing his role as an exercise in free speech that illuminates uncomfortable truths. The film’s relevance, Taylor emphasized, stems from its unchanged 20-year-old script. “History keeps repeating itself,” she said. “This movie is a wake-up call to start those tough conversations.”
Critics are already buzzing about the film’s bold themes and stellar performances, with early screenings sparking debates about its portrayal of revolution and extremism. The 2-hour-50-minute runtime doesn’t drag, thanks to Anderson’s masterful pacing and a soundtrack that blends gritty rock with haunting melodies, perfectly complementing the film’s rebellious spirit.
As One Battle After Another hits the big screen, it challenges audiences to confront the chaos of today’s world while questioning how far one should go for justice. For fans of Anderson’s provocative style—seen in classics like Boogie Nights and There Will Be Blood—this is a must-see that delivers both visceral thrills and deep introspection.
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