One Battle After Another (2025)

What is One Battle After Another About?

When the ex-revolutionaries’ oppressive enemy resurfaces after 16 years, it’s enough to threaten their existence, their survival, their peace. When the corrupt military official of the enemy captures the daughter of one of the ex-revolutionaries, a perilous clash ensues, creating tension that spirals out of control.

What Bob needs to do, now, is find his daughter. But with a drug and alcohol addled brain, he wonders if he can overcome the oppressors and fight back. With a backdrop of opposing political ideals that cannot exist in harmony, what One Battle After Another makes us wonder is whether Bob will be reunited with Willa as the revolutionaries reunite to rescue her, or whether the oppressors will win.

Our Honest One Battle After Another Review

An evil enemy. A group of ex-revolutionaries. A missing daughter, and plenty of action – One Battle After has it all. Riveting, complex, full of inspiring performances, and directed with exemplary skill, the movie does more than present thrilling scenes – it’s layered with subtle, challenging contextual motifs, such as political tension, humanism, and controversial issues.

In this sense, like we did, you might feel that One Battle After Another calls to mind the action in A Thousand and One, which presents a complex socio-political backdrop and centres on a parent who focuses on doing the best for their child.

Yet the action in Phil Anderson’s movie can be likened to a supercharged V for Vendetta that breaks free from the fictional dystopian world and brings us more realistic scenes and scenes that reflect terrifying totalitarianism. 

What Do the Critics Think of One Battle After Another?

Being nothing less than an action-thriller masterpiece, there’s no wondering why One Battle After Another received the following positive remarks from critics:

• “It’s, crucially, a deeply humanist movie. Anderson cares about these characters deeply. Bob’s frustration becomes our own, as does his concern for Willa. So many “films of our moment” have felt angry or cynical, but Anderson’s movie transcends that by being human and even offering optimism. It’s not one loss after another. It’s one battle.” – Roger Ebert

• “For me, Anderson has a unique talent, but he watches movies like the rest of us and perhaps draws inspiration from them. Some of the film’s most extravagant interactions seem inspired by the wild adventures Yorgos Lanthimos presents on screen. There are hints of Scorsese, the Coen brothers, and Tarantino, but throughout, it’s a Paul Thomas Anderson film.” – Sam, Aarcflick

• “The movie’s characters are beautifully drawn, and even more beautifully portrayed by the actors. DiCaprio, Del Toro, and Penn are amazing, Infiniti is a star in the making, and there are excellent supporting performances from Taylor and Regina Hall as another French 75 member. Despite running 158 minutes, the time flies by because of how masterfully Anderson paces his tale.” Mike McGranaghan

What Awards and Nominations did One Battle After Another Receive?

The cinematic excellence of One Battle After Another surpasses so many similar-genre movies, which is one of the reasons it deserved to top the box office the weekend of its release. It even exceeded the $4.9 million that There Will Be Blood earned in its fifth weekend during 2008, receiving $22 million.

It’s also unsurprising that the movie has earned a few awards, even during the filming phase:

• The One Battle After Another trailer won the Golden Trailer Award’s Best Original Score.
• Location team members of One Battle After Another earned the California on Location Awards during filming in 2024.

Watch the One Battle After Another trailer and movie to see for yourself why it deserves these awards.

Cast & Crew of One Battle After Another

Some incredible names in Hollywood come to our screens through One Battle After Another. Here’s what you might not know about them:

Fun Facts About One Battle After Another

• Not only does Teyana Taylor (who plays Perfidia) do her own stunts in the movie, but she also improvised the line “B*tch, I felt like Tony Montana”, and Anderson kept it in the movie because of how the actress delivered it.

• This is not the only Thomas Pynchon novel film adaptation created by director Anderson. He created Inherent Vice in 2014, an adaptation of the book of the same name.

• The majority of the French 75 within the movie are played by professionals who are musicians in real life. Teyana Taylor, Shayna McHayle, Alana Haim, and Paul Grimstad are all musicians.

• The movie is filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson’s most expensive film so far. It has a budget of between $130 million and $175 million 

• Three Academy Award winners feature in the cast – Leonardo DiCaprio, Benicio Del Toro, and Sean Penn.

Themes of One Battle After Another

Oppression and split political ideologies are two of the key themes we see in One Battle After Another. We see this almost all-powerful authoritarianism juxtaposed against the will of the revolutionaries, especially in scenes where Perfidia wields heavy weaponry and, though heavily pregnant, practices her shooting skills.

But there are subtle themes to note throughout this gripping, action-packed film. Lineage, settling down, becoming a family, and prioritising fatherhood all come together here, epitomised in scenes where Bob passionately and assertively tells Comrade Josh, “Oh, f*ck you, you f*cking moron! F*ck you! You obviously don’t have kids, you f*cking idiot!”

How Does One Battle After Another Compare to Paul Thomas Anderson’s Other Work?

Anderson has delved into a political milieu in previous movies. Just like One Battle After Another, There Will Be Blood (2007) shows a system of oppression with characters who aim to resist it.

In the camera work, a range of tracking motions follow moving vehicles as Daniel makes his journey across sandy landscapes to meet who he refers to as his half-brother. The same tracking motions are used in One Battle After Another when Bob exits a moving vehicle, jumping into the sandy roadside.

Iconic Scenes from One Battle After Another

Behind-the-Scenes Trivia

There are some truly interesting anecdotes and notable behind-the-scenes trivia that reflect the movie’s masterful execution. Stories and opinions, that are almost hidden behind this incredible movie’s excellence, include the following:

• Paul Anderson considers the final chase scene to be a homage to several classic movies. He shot the scene with classics such as Bullitt, Vanishing Point, Ronin, and Sugarland Express in mind. It especially evokes the movie Bullit as the chase features a Mustang pursuing a Charger under the sunlit Californian skies.

• Benicio Del Toro, when approached to play the role of Sensei Sergio in the movie, didn’t even read the script. He jumped at the chance to play the character simply because the film was being directed by Paul Anderson and apparently didn’t know what to do when he showed up.

• DiCaprio considered that the scene in which Willa (played by Chase Infiniti) has a hidden phone added a lot of tension to the movie. He believed that Anderson made it a dramatic point that might not have come across in the original script.

Best Quotes from One Battle After Another

• “I believe she was a sperm thief.” – Col. Steven J. Lockjaw explaining that the militant woman, Perfidia, who raped him, stole his sperm.

• “My name is Perfidia Beverly Hills, and this is a declaration of war. We’re here to right your wrongs, motherf*cker.” Perfidia declaring that war is coming to the authoritarian movement of the US government.

• “What was the f*cking password, by the way, you f*cking pr*ck?” – Bob asking Comrade Josh to reveal the password used to identify themselves.

• “I don’t remember that part. Let’s just not nitpick over the passwords.” – Bob telling Comrade Josh that he cannot remember the password that will help him save his own daughter.

• “B*tch, I felt like Tony Montana!” – Perfidia expressing satisfaction after shooting a machine gun and practising her aim.

• “Maybe you should’ve studied the rebellion text a little harder.” – Comrade Josh criticising Bob for not knowing the details of the rebellion protocols and text.

• “Goddamn it, viva la revolución!” – Bob expressing relief after Sensei provides him with words of wisdom.

• “Do you know what freedom is? No fear. Just like Tom f*cking Cruise.” – Sensei preparing Bob to take the next step as part of his mission just before he jumps from a moving car.

• “Uhh, f*ck. Well, I don’t remember the f*cking greeting code because I got a little bit high.” – Bob explaining to Comrade Josh why he cannot answer the questions related to the code

• “I need a weapon, man. All you’ve got are goddamn nunchuks here.” – Bob asking Sensei for a more suitable weapon and criticising the lack of weaponry available.

What People Are Asking About One Battle After Another

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