When their evil enemy resurfaces after 16 years, a group of ex-revolutionaries reunite to rescue one of their own’s daughter.
Chuck says:
Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another” comes fully freighted with great expectations. Proclaimed by critics as the front runner for the Oscar for Best Picture, it seems preordained to deliver the director recognition from the Academy that’s long overdue. Yet, much like Martin Socrsese’s “The Departed,” this is far from Anderson’s best work. It pales in comparison to “Boogie Nights,” “There Will Be Blood,” “The Master” or “Phantom Thread,” all far more complex and assured movies that showcase the filmmaker at his best. Still, the wheel has turned, it’s been ordained Anderson is due and “Battle” will likely take the top prize, and he the Oscar for Best Director.
That’s not to say “Battle” is a bad film, far from it. It is, at times, riotously funny, contains some of the year’s best acting, and moves briskly, its elaborately plotted story breezing by confidentially, sweeping the audience along with it. And while many are touting its daring politics, Anderson’s intent and position are obvious. He’s not making a grand statement here, so much as picking low hanging fruit. To be sure, the theme of political injustice and the sway of a totalitarian government is timely, but “Battle” plays better as an absurdist comedy, Anderson’s cast obviously relishing the opportunity to lampoon our mad, skewed world.
Based on the novel “Vineyard” by Thomas Pynchon, Anderson’s script is a sprawling, at times ungainly construct that features a myriad number of plot strands which will keep viewers on their collective toes. Starting in the late 2000’s, the story focuses on the domestic terrorist group, the French 75. Intent on freeing jailed immigrants, robbing banks to fund their revolution and addressing racial injustice, they go about brazenly enacting their manifesto, led by the charismatic Perfidia Hollywood (Teyana Taylor). Inexplicably, she gets involved with Bob (Leonardo DiCaprio), a union that on the surface makes little sense, but ultimately leads to the birth of their daughter, Willa.
All seems well, until they cross paths with Col. Steven Lockjaw (Sean Penn), a morally constipated military man, tasked with bringing down the French 75. He’s passionate about completing this task, driven by his attraction to Perfidia, which excites and disgusts him in equal measure. He succeeds in part, with leads to his target leaving the country, forcing Bob to raise Willa on his own.
This comprises the movie’s first act, the bulk of the story taking place 16 years later. Willa (Chase Infiniti) has become a belligerent teen, Bob has killed countless brain cells through alcohol and drug abuse, and Lockjaw is still intent on tracking down the remaining members of the terrorist group. As a result, a great deal of mayhem ensues. Bob and Willa find themselves on the run, aided by old and new colleagues (Regina Hall and Benecio Del Toro), while Lockjaw is sponsored by a shadow group of conservative zealots to continue his oppressive operations.
Anderson’s approach to the material will likely leave viewer’s breathless, as one bracing incident trips on the heels of the next. But unlike most modern films, it never feels like an assault but rather an invigorating experience, the filmmaker never presenting the many storylines in such a way that we feel adrift or confused. That I was engaged from the first minute to the 161st is a testament to Anderson’s storytelling prowess and his ability to keep us in the palm of his hand throughout.
He’s aided mightily by his exceptional cast, from the main players to the minor. DiCaprio’s never been funnier, his ability to transform from slacker to fugitive in the six seconds a source of constant delight. A prolonged sequence in which he struggles in vain to recall a password he first heard 16 years earlier is a master class in timing. Penn’s trademark intensity is put to good use, his ramrod posture and determined gait tell us all we need to know about Lockjaw, the actor generating menace at every turn. Del Toro provides a great comic foil for DiCaprio, his easy nature beautifully complimenting his co-star’s mania. Infiniti, in her film debut, doesn’t shrink for the challenge of sharing the screen with her veteran castmates, commanding our attention and sympathy as the revolutionary in the making.
The film loses its way a bit towards the end, Anderson’s need to tie up the many loose ends leading to some questionable choices. For as sprawling and, at times, messy, the film is, it all comes to an end a bit too neatly. Still, there’s no denying the director’s noble intentions. “Battle” wears its politics on its sleeve, its anti-fascism stance evident in its every moment. While its obvious nature is rather facile, perhaps it’s better, there’s little confusion as possible regarding the warning it contains and the call to action it preaches. While I would have appreciated a more subtle approach, I suppose our times call for more simple statements of belief and intention, lest there be any confusion as to where anyone stands.
3 Stars
