Rebels, Rockets, and Redemption: Inside One Battle After Another

In Paul Thomas Anderson’s electrifying 2025 action thriller One Battle After Another, Leonardo DiCaprio delivers a career-defining performance as “Ghetto” Pat Calhouun, a paranoid ex-revolutionary navigating  a treacherous world of radical activism, betrayal, and family ties. Loosely adapted from Thomas Pynchon’s Vineland, this ambitious epic weaves a gripping tale of a rebellion against fascism, blending high-octane action, sharp comedy, and poignant father-daughter drama. With a stellar ensemble cast, including Sean Penn’s chilling turn as a far-right antagonist and Chase Infiniti’s breakout role as Pat’s fierce daughter Willa, the film has captivated audiences and critics alike, earning a 95% on Rotten Tomatoes and emerging as a 2026 Oscar frontrunner. As Anderson’s most expensive and expansive work yet, One Battle After Another is a cinematic triumph that confronts America’s fractured soul with unflinching intensity and timely resonance. 

Overview

“One Battle After Another” is a 2025 American action thriller written, produced, and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, loosely inspired by elements from Thomas Pynchon’s 1990 novel Vineland, particularly its father-daughter dynamic and themes of rebellion. The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio in the lead role as “Ghetto” Pat Calhoun (also known as “Rocketman” and later Bob Ferguson), a washed-up former revolutionary and explosives expert from the far-left group French 75, who lives in paranoid isolation with his self-reliant teenage daughter Willa (Chase Infiniti) after years on the run from authorities. The story unfolds across two timelines: the 1970s-era revolutionary activities involving raids on immigration detention centers, bombings of political and economic targets, and internal betrayals, followed by a 16-year jump to present-day conflicts in a sanctuary city, where Bob and Willa face pursuit by far-right forces led by the villainous Colonel Steven Lockjaw (Sean Penn). Themes explore resistance against fascism, community-based activism versus isolated revolution, immigration crackdowns, and the personal costs of radicalism, blending screwball comedy, high-octane action, and intimate family drama.

The ensemble cast includes standout supporting performances from Teyana Taylor as Perfidia Beverly Hills (Willa’s mother and Pat’s former lover), Benicio del Toro as Sergio St. Carlos (a community leader and Willa’s karate teacher), Regina Hall as Deandra (a loyal French 75 member), Wood Harris as Laredo, Alana Haim as Mae West, and others like Shayna McHayle, Paul Grimstad, and Tony Goldwyn. Production began development in 2023 with an initial cast that evolved to include DiCaprio (replacing Joaquin Phoenix) for a reported $20 million fee; principal photography started in January 2024 across California locations like Humboldt County, Sacramento, and Anza-Borrego Desert, plus El Paso, Texas, using rare 35mm VistaVision cameras for a grand, immersive visual style. Cinematography by Michael Bauman, editing by Andy Jurgensen, and a score by Jonny Greenwood (Anderson’s sixth collaboration) enhance the film’s propulsive energy, with a runtime of about 2 hours 41 minutes. The budget ballooned to $130–175 million, making it Anderson’s most expensive project, and it underwent test screenings, leading to minor cuts. Warner Bros. Pictures distributed it, with a world premiere on September 8, 2025, in Los Angeles, followed by a wide U.S. release on September 26 in formats including IMAX and VistaVision.

Reviews and Scores

Critically acclaimed upon release, the film holds a 95% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes(based on 364 reviews), with critics praising its “awe-inspiring action set pieces,” thematic richness on American rebellion and injustice, and Anderson’s blend of suspense, humor, and epic scope–calling it his “most entertaining” yet thematically profound work. The audience score is 85%, and Metacritic rates it 95/100  for “universal acclaim”. On IMDb, it scores 8.3/ 10 from over 10,000 ratings, lauded for DiCaprio’s charismatic, weary antihero performance–described as his best in years, liberating him through comedy–and Penn’s chilling villainy, potentially his strongest in decades. Reviews highlight visceral thrills like car chases and shootouts, the father-daughter intimacy, and timely commentary on eroded freedoms and resistance, though some critique its convoluted plot, lengthy runtime, underdeveloped female characters, and divisive politics (e.g., sympathetic portrayal of revolutionaries drawing conservative backlash). Box office success includes a $22 million domestic opening weekend (Anderson’s best debut and DiCaprio’s 11th over $20 million), totaling $106 million worldwide as of early October 2025, marking Anderson’s highest grossing film.

Behind the Scenes

The film was shot using 35mm VistaVision cameras, a format pioneered in the 1950s by Paramount Pictures but rarely used today due to its high cost and specialized equipment. This choice gave the film a distinctive, high-resolution visual texture, emphasizing grand, widescreen action sequences and intimate character moments alike. Director Paul Thomas Anderson insisted on VistaVision to evoke a classic Hollywood epic feel while modernizing it for contemporary audiences, making it one of the few modern films to employ this technique. Anderson opted for practical locations across California and Texas to ground the film’s high-stakes narrative. Humboldt County’s redwood forests doubled as the revolutionary hideouts of the 1970s, while Sacramento’s urban sprawl and the Anza-Borrego Desert’s stark landscapes provided contrasting backdrops for the present-day chase sequences. Minimal CGI was used for explosions and action, with practical effects like controlled demolitions and pyrotechnics enhancing the film’s visceral intensity—a rarity in today’s VFX-heavy blockbusters. The project initially eyed Joaquin Phoenix for the lead role, but his departure due to scheduling conflicts led to DiCaprio’s casting, which significantly raised the film’s profile and budget. DiCaprio’s $20 million salary and the film’s $130–175 million budget made it a high-risk venture for Warner Bros., especially for an original story not based on a franchise. Anderson’s insistence on creative control, including final cut, added pressure but ensured his uncompromising vision.

One Battle After Another stands as a bold testament to Paul Thomas Anderson’s visionary storytelling, merging heart-pounding action with incisive commentary on rebellion, family, and societal divides. Leonardo DiCaprio’s magnetic performance, paired with a stellar ensemble and innovative production choices like VistaVision cinematography, elevates the film into a cultural touchstone that resonates with today’s fractured world. Its critical and commercial success, coupled with strong Oscar prospects, cements its place as a defining cinematic achievement of 2025. As audiences continue to grapple with its provocative themes and thrilling spectacle, the film’s legacy as a fearless exploration of resistance and redemption is undeniable.