One Battle After Another

Just in case you thought I’ve only been watching zombie movies for months…you’re kinda right, but I love them so I don’t feel guilty. At the end of last year I paid attention to the many lists of Best of and Worst of movies of 2025, which is one of the reasons I watched this movie. I kept seeing articles proclaiming this not only the best movie of 2025, but the best movie of the century. SMH

This movie is in no way superior to Sinners.

It’s not a terrible movie, and it has some quirky moments, solid acting and cinematography, and an interesting plot. But it’s no Sinners. In this film, we follow the interesting life of stoner and master bomber Bob (Leonardo DiCaprio) as he works with the revolutionary group French 75 and his lover Perfidia (Teyana Taylor, who won a Golden Globe for the performance). After a sexual encounter with super racist and Bovino impersonator Colonel Lockjaw (Sean Penn), she disappears and leaves Bob alone to raise their child, Charlene (Chase Infinity Payne).

One of the major problems with that brief description is that it only includes one of the several movie plots embedded in the film. This is the family drama plot. There is also the fighting the ICE immigration thuggery, running from the openly white supremacist organization Lockjaw works for (I was floored when he was proud to receive the Bedford Forest Medal of Honor from them.), and the sort of throughline in the form of Charlene’s coming of age.

I did like the trolling of Bovino, who I imagined gritting his teeth to nubbins at Penn’s portrayal, and openly portraying the country as under the violent, political and economic control of white supremacist billionaire Nazi cosplayers. The more often people are reminded what a sad state we’re in as a country right now, the better. But I was often confused at character motivations, at one point rewinding a bit to see what I had missed that caused a character to act in a way that made no sense at all. (Didn’t find a reason.) There are too many stories that aren’t fully tied together, making the whole movie weaker than it should be. Is it a comedy? In parts. Is it a family drama with drug overuse and abandonment a central theme? In part. Is it an action thriller? At times, and there is a really interesting and unusual car chase sequence that made me tip my proverbial hat. Is it a huge commentary on the state of the world? Sure.

There are some shocking moments, like the Bedford Forest medal of honor. It goes by quickly but is super important and one nearly every viewer will miss the significance of. It gave me a chill, but I know who Bedford Forest was. This reliance on the audience to paying attention and understanding the reference made me give a nod of respect to the filmmakers who treated the audience like they have a brain. The rise in Sean Penn’s pants was fascinating. Again, not explained well enough and maybe played for laughs but the joke fell flat for me. (Yes, that was kind of a joke.) There were some 1960s blacksploitation vibes that I enjoyed, and again, that was a really interesting car chase sequence. There are some old fashioned cinematic tricks that I didn’t fall for, but it was shot in Vista Vision, an old fashioned camera that gives the film an unusual look. It’s a pretty movie.  I did like the message at the very end of the film and would watch a sequel if it was based on just that.

This is an overhyped film that is well made but not “the best film of this century” by any means. The acting is never less than very good all the way through and the various stories that comprise the whole are all interesting, if too loosely tied together. The political messaging is well done and depressingly realistic, the comedy hits fairly often and when it intends to hit hard with some violence you can feel the hit. I very much liked the look of the old fashioned camera, but I don’t even remember the music. I recommend this movie, but don’t expect as much as the hype leads you to believe.

Triggers: overt racism, violence

Available: HBO/Max, Hulu, The Roku Channel, YouTube (subscription), Google Play, Sling, Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Fandango at Home

LINKS:

• One Battle After Another – Official Website
• One Battle After Another – IMDB
• One Battle After Another – Wikipedia

CFR: In Addition

So when Cranky sent me this review she told me I wouldn’t like it. I can see why. She said it would anger me and yes, I think so. I also think WOW! Good for them for making a movie about the racist and fascist nonsense in our country currently. (Did they mention sexism?) Also not surprising because DiCaprio and Penn are known for working in movies supporting liberty. Good for them.

I’m going to go watch Sinners again. O.M.G. It deserves ALL of the awards! What a masterpiece. What a movie.