Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
“One Battle After Another,” the latest from Paul Thomas Anderson and starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Sean Penn, has won over critics. As of this writing, the film, written, directed and produced by Anderson, has a 97% certified Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
In their review, in which they described “One Battle After Another” as a “blast from start to finish (and there are many blasts within),” Empire magazine said that Anderson’s latest film is “a stone-cold, instant classic.”
RogerEbert.com was also all praises of the BAFTA-winning director, saying, “Anderson’s phenomenal screenplay is a timeless story of resistance, one that playfully weaves together influences as broad-reaching as the true story of Weather Underground and cinematic depictions of rebellion, but it’s also a remarkably propulsive, fun, and eventually moving piece of work about the human beings caught up in the chaotic machine. It’s a live wire that drops in the first scene, setting off sparks for the next 162 minutes.”
“One Battle After Another” tells the story of washed-up revolutionary Bob (DiCaprio), who exists in a state of stoned paranoia, surviving off-grid with his spirited, self-reliant daughter, Willa (Chase Infiniti). When his evil nemesis (Penn) resurfaces after 16 years and she goes missing, the former radical scrambles to find her, father and daughter both battling the consequences of his past.
Watch the trailer: https://youtu.be/-Q_8SHbon64?si=PZLd-mQ4CcwO0pSX
According to producer Sara Murphy, Anderson started working on “One Battle After Another” 20 years ago, and though “the script has taken different shapes over many years,” it remains timeless.”
And critics agree.
“The trailer really didn’t give us much of an idea of what the impact of this movie really is,” wrote Deadline Hollywood. “But it seems to me that, 20 years gestation or not, this is an extraordinary crackerjack hell of a film that has met its time. Some of it is so absurdly funny it looks like real life and art have somehow merged into the most pertinent of ways for 2025. Mindbending brilliance doesn’t begin to describe it.”
Collider called the film a “generation-defining masterpiece.” “In just under three hours, Anderson creates a captivating action film, an incredibly timely look at how people in power can utilize their position for manipulation and personal gain, an extremely funny comedy, and maybe his most personal exploration of a father and daughter relationship – all in one of the most beautifully shot and well-acted films of the year,” they said in their review.
Variety praised the film’s “ensemble of rich characters,” including DiCaprio’s Bob and del Toro’s Sensei. They also said that “‘One Battle After Another’ has the kind of twists and turns that feed the audience, giving us the childlike sensation that we have no idea what’s coming next, and that that’s the happiest way there is to watch a movie.”
Warner Bros. Pictures Presents A Ghoulardi Film Company Production, A Paul Thomas Anderson Film, “One Battle After Another.” Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, the film will be in theaters and IMAX® nationwide beginning 24 September 2025. #OneBattleAfterAnother