Une bataille après l'autre

Luckly, I haven't read a word about this movie before watching it. Came fresh and got what I knew I am going to get - a Paul Thomas Anderson's film, with all the elements that are tied to this director's creations. He is not my favorite director, and I'm pretty divided regarding his filmography.

One thing that I can say about Paul Thomas Anderson is that his movies stick. Makes me think and are almost always enjoyable. Well, not all of them. There are "Inherent Vice" that made me suffer and also "The Master" I didn't like. And yes, Paul Thomas Anderson's films are always long.

This one is also a long one and not necessarily needed to be that long, but it is one of those things I can live with, because this time his movie is absolutely great. It is not great like the movie critics say it is. It's not perfect and sometimes it feels too stuffed with allegories and subjects that Paul Thomas Anderson tried to get inside, but other then all of those...yeah...it's that good.

It is like America's political atmosphere started to use drugs, from both kinds. Downers and uppers. There are two main characters that are performed by Leonardo DiCaprio and Sean Penn and are representing each one of drugs types. One is pumped and violent and the other is a suspicious stoner, that is sometime very mellow and sometimes paranoic.

Other then that Paul Thomas Anderson talks about America, about treatment to foreigners and especially those who tries to blend in America. He speaks about the fact we all belong to places, culture and personal identity we get from our family and our close (and also not that close) environment.

Everything Paul Thomas Anderson does in this movie is fabulous. Camera work is sensational, the musical score is almost perfect and stressful, and the final car chase scene is one of the best thing I've seen in any movie lately. The best part, off course, will be the actors choices.

What more can we say about Leonardo DiCaprio and his performances? Nothing else. All was already been told. He is perfect. Give him another Oscar. Sean Penn is absolutely terrifying in one of his best performances of latest years. Benicio Del Toro maintained his acting vibe from 'The Phoenician Scheme' and young Chase Infiniti stole everyone's thunder.

This movie gets the jog done. It is interesting, well made and acted and especially very unique, though also very stuffed. I am so happy I managed to enjoy this one without caving into the hype machine around the web. Is stood by itself and made my experience just great and it is another one by PTA that I will remember as one of the better ones.

The movie "One Battle After Another", in summary, is about a former revolutionary on a mission to save his missing daughter. Directed and co-written by Paul Thomas Anderson, it's a thrilling political action flick that really shows off, once again, his talent for both writing and directing. However, the movie isn't consistent in its construction; at times it's unconvincing, and other times it feels unfocused. More than once, I had the same reaction I did with last year's "Emilia Pérez": a wildly original story that often seems to jump around without much logic, where anything can happen.

The whole movie basically belongs to Sean Penn as Col. Lockjaw. He totally steals the show with a character who's creepy, unhinged, and downright disturbing.

Like "Emilia Pérez", it's one of those stories you're either into from the start or you just don't care about at all.

Paul Thomas Anderson's One Battle After Another is a film that wants to be epic but ends up didactic. There's no denying its technical accomplishments: the cinematography is vivid, almost painterly at times, and Leonardo DiCaprio and Sean Penn deliver performances that are magnetic, commanding your attention even when the story falters.

And falter it does. The film's ambition - to comment on political extremism - is undercut by its simplistic moral universe. One side of the conflict is portrayed as entirely evil, with no redeeming qualities or relatability. Every action they take is chaotic, violent, or manipulative, leaving the audience with no one to sympathize with on that side. This lack of nuance turns the movie from a story into a political lecture, making it feel less like cinema and more like ideological instruction.

In a moment when America feels more divided than ever, the timing of such a film is jarring. Its portrayal of chaos and extremism is so stark that it risks being taken too seriously by audiences at either extreme, rather than prompting reflection. More troublingly, it underscores how out of touch Hollywood can be with most Americans, presenting a world of ideological extremes that few viewers would recognize in real life.

Still, the film isn't without merit. Anderson's eye for detail, his visual inventiveness, and the sheer force of DiCaprio and Penn's performances make it watchable even when it preaches. But for a director capable of deep, character-driven storytelling, this attempt at political commentary feels like a missed opportunity.

Props to writer / director Paul Thomas Anderson for blending "The Big Lebowski" & "Sicario" into the darkly humorous, quietly epic actioner "One Battle After Another". 16yrs after being part of a domestic terrorist group (with Regina Hall, Teyana Taylor, & others) stoner Leonardo Di Caprio (so good again) lives off-grid with Chase Infiniti (his daughter by Taylor)... til the past comes for them via manic army Col Sean Penn (excellent). Cue reasonably twisty chase & shoot 'em up action, with characters like Benicio Del Toro (also great), white supremacist politicians, and plot holes aplenty (excusable as they keep Anderson's terrific pace flowing). Not flawless, but still thumping entertainment.

Would recommend:) entertaining, might be one of the best movies I've seen in this year.

Very good movie.

Good acting.

Amazing actors.

Funny.

Leo just don't disappoint.

So go watch this movie and you will not be disappointed I've haven't seen a good crime movie in a long time.

I have nothing more to say just go watch it.