one_battle_after_another

A new Paul Thomas Anderson film inspired by Thomas Pynchon's Vineland takes aim at the theatergoing masses and delivers with a bang. Usually, PTA works up zoomed-in personal stories projected onto the big screen, but this time around he broadens the stage to fit all the exploits and actions of a hollywood action-thriller.

Every single character is captivating and entertaining. Every performance was unique and memorable. DeCaprio is constantly on his heels, doing his best to catch up through a tangle of silly tertiary obstacles, all while wearing an iconic worn bathrobe. His comedic goofball scenes don't undermine his character, though - his revolutionary experience and good heart are still plain to see. Other highlight performances are Sean Penn as Sgt. J. Lockjaw and Chase Infiniti as Willa.

The physical performance of Lockjaw by Penn is something to behold - there is a great built-in tension witnessing the enraged, quaking soldier ready to explode on screen at any moment. He's like a walking nuclear reactor that is mid-meltdown, critical alarms blaring underneath the surface. Ambitious, vengeful, and exploitable, he is written and acted to perfection.

His character is at the center of most of the things PTA is trying to say, as well. Institutions and power structures are still composed of people, who have insecurities, weaknesses, and any of of them can be consumed by ambition or revenge. Perfida "this pussy is for war" Beverly Hills, pulls herself up and out of danger by his balls, and by bucket-crabbing over her allies. Her post-partum rage marks an inflection point in the story, and we flash forward until her baby is high school age.

The opening act's pace settles down, just as DiCaprio's character also 'settles down' as the single father, ever watchful for agents of his past to creep in through the woods and catch up to him (which they do, of course). The back half of the film is an exciting and tense thriller. Multiple personal stories orbit each other, narrow misses here and there, but always drawing closer and closer with ever-increasing speed.

Johny Greenwood's soundtrack is what you might expect from previous PTA films - it is very present, as if it were another character, and very effective. Disjointed string and key arrangements enhance chaotic sequences, and swelling strings raise grand moments to even greater heights. The climactic and literal roller-coaster car chase scene is accompanied by a Burn The Witch-esque track, making it the most memorable moment of the film. The sound mixing is also notable. Gunfire is loud, raw, and painful. In delicate moments, a breath or the placement of a glass cup on a table are tangible and engrossing.

This movie is laugh out loud funny. Sensei Benicio del Toro is another fantastic character with his own rich story and hilarious moments. The Christmas Adventurers Club (no more lunatics, understand?) evokes the precious bodily fluids of Dr. Strangelove. It is such a dumb simple jab at the say merry christmas crowd that is already doing numbers in online reviews. The movie is the gift that keeps on giving: there are so many upset conservatives clacking out one-star reviews, trying desperately to come up with reasons it's bad, when really they just feel called out for their Starbucks-red-cup-pilled priorities. 'Safe space liberals' are also fun to laugh at in this film as well, make no mistake.

Paul Thomas Anderson has a stratospheric legacy, despite his sometimes inaccessible body of work. One Battle After Another steps defiantly into the ring with every other 'hollywood blockbuster', and establishes dominance. 'He's not a popcorn guy, but if he wanted to, he could'... and damn he really did.