To accurately describe the scene of something as modern as the new Paul Thomas Anderson film, it’s necessary to tap the rewind button to early leftist, revolutionary politics. During the ’70s, we heard rallying cries — people holding onto any form of comfort so as to make the bad times less trying. In Gil-Scott Heron’s 1971 black liberation anthem, “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised,” he exclaims, “Green Acres, Beverly Hillbillies, and Hooterville Junction will no longer be so damn relevant.” The metaphor here hinges on Heron citing these 1960s television programs (“Green Acres,” “Beverly Hillbillies”) and their themes — rooted in hoisting wealth and perseverance in white America — as no longer relevant. These people, with their glorified existence, are still living beneath the corrupt government. While “One Battle After Another” delivers Heron’s comedic jabs at the 1960s government, it is instead applied under the dome of a Trumpist agenda. The movie turns into something beaming with dimension and intelligence, while also delivering laughworthy moments via outrageous allusion and mockery, much akin to Heron.
As a creative, Paul Thomas Anderson is no stranger to bringing us into these sprawling worlds of absurdity and amusement. “One Battle After Another” starts by introducing us to Bob Ferguson (Leonardo DiCaprio), a revolutionary working in tandem with his lover, Perfidia Beverly Hills (Teyana Taylor), as they raid and liberate detention centers for captured immigrants. Instantly, the film grasps at real-world problems that may make one quiver. Both of them are members of the French 75, spearheading the guerilla tactics of the group. Perfidia remains a dominant, powerful stronghold of emotion. Her intensity is palpable and visually quantified at certain points. For instance, in one frame, she fires a rifle and withstands the recoil with biting vigor while pregnant with daughter Willa (Chase Infiniti), as seen by her large, protruding baby bump.
However, during confrontations with the defense forces of the detention centers, Perfidia meets Col. Steven J. Lockjaw (Sean Penn) — a person with the cliché snarl and horny whims of any great antagonist. Lockjaw develops a sexual desire for Perfidia which fashions his identity as the ‘nemesis’ of Ferguson. At this point, the film begins to seep more into the structure of its source material.
The film is viewed as a piece inspired by Thomas Pynchon’s “Vineland,” a novel about radicalized rebellion during both the Nixon and the Reagan administrations. The book, similar to this film, openly rejects conservatism and employs the toxicity of the men in power as a means to create a villain. Pynchon consistently harps on the corruption of mass media as a linchpin of corporate greed. Anderson frames his interpretation of society’s implosion under the Trump administration as one similarly based on mass media, but also sociopolitical repression. This is seen in his clear references to fascism and authoritarianism as the governing formulae leading the country.
In its entirety, “One Battle After Another” is something epic. It’s a project that one can assume Anderson has been trying to make for years. It moves fast and is packed to the brim with creative choices that are entrancing to a degree with which the director hasn’t yet trifled. Its depiction of 2020s California culture is new for Anderson. Rather than tap into modernity, many of his former great works allow us to escape into another time, one with less rules and more mischief. “Licorice Pizza” (2021), “Inherent Vice” (2014) and “Boogie Nights” (1997) are all famous examples. But this modern take is getting press and buzz to the likes he hasn’t seen before.
I liken this phenomenon to Martin Scorsese’s “The Departed” (2006), a contemporary eye into Boston mobster culture. After decades of directing and producing mafia chronicle after mafia chronicle, Scorsese decided to go more current and made, awards-wise, the most successful project of his career. The film industry and its priority of the ‘now’ over the ‘then’ is fascinating.
Nonetheless, Paul Thomas Anderson has managed to make a film that’s exceedingly impressive. It’s a film that also infuses the stoner culture and the farcical characters that are staples in his works. There’s Benicio Del Toro as Willa’s karate sensei, a man armed with a healthy advocacy for the revolution — much like Bob; or Col. Lockjaw, someone who, alongside his willingness to get off on his social status, seethes at the idea of being a part of the storied Christmas Adventures Club — to boast his mannish nobility. It is, overall, a wonderful treasure trove of people and stories dug up by Anderson — one nugget at a time.
The progression of the plot is complemented by the awe-inspiring percussive sounds of Jonny Greenwood’s score. Yet again, the multi-instrumentalist has managed to make his collaboration with Anderson a fruitful one. Here, we have a diverse array of tempos that shimmer with rhythmic fluency. It’s a seamless component of the film.
At first, “One Battle After Another” seems poised to become an acidic piece of political satire. But, once the film continues, it blends politics with action thrills. It’s just as comedic in its commentary on society as it’s serious — much akin to Gil-Scott Heron writing his lyrics to tackle oppression with honesty, even if the truth can seem over-the-top. And just as Heron says “Green Acres, Beverly Hillbillies, and Hooterville Junction” as a way of alluding to white America, so too the revolutionaries in the French 75 communicate in code — adding to their mockery of corruption and what society has become.
The movie is all about society and politics, brought together through the power of comedic satire amid all the chaos. Through all the potent themes, thrilling chases and amusing confrontations, Paul Thomas Anderson has crafted a more than worthy benchmark in his long and hallowed catalog.
