One Battle After Another (2025) Dir: Paul Thomas Anderson

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Paul Thomas Anderson is one of the most acclaimed filmmakers in the cinema community, albeit he is perhaps not so famous to the layman. Despite this, his extremely consistent filmography speaks for itself. This latest film, his highly anticipated new project, received an incredible reaction from critics and audiences alike, with many labelling the film a modern classic already. As such, try as I might to keep my expectations in check, my anticipation began to mount quite considerably before I went to see it.

The film was pretty unique, in that it was shot on 35mm film on VistaVision cameras, and was intended to be watched in the VistaVision format. Although I didn't see it in that format, instead just a standard theatrical showing, I was still absolutely blown away by the film's wonderful cinematography. There were some extremely visceral sequences, and some brilliantly striking and unique shots, some of which I am certain will become iconic in the years to come.

The writing was instinctual, intense, and steeped in realism. It was paced superbly, which allowed its almost three hour runtime to fly past. The tension created in some scenes was almost unbearable in the best possible way. Most of the characters were extremely well-crafted, but still left plenty of freedom for the actors to make them their own. The quality of the writing made the stakes feel so real and so intense - I felt like I was holding my breath for the entire final third of the film.

The narrative compelled me greatly. Its criticisms of the Unites State's treatment of immigrants and minorities was damning, and, obviously, very current. It isn't the first time this sort of message has been told in film, but it makes it no less important or necessary, and this film is both of those things in abundance. There were so many brilliant moments in this film, and so many interesting characters - it was impossible for me not to love this film, especially with how well it was executed.

There were so many tremendous acting performances to talk about in this film, including, of course, Leonardo DiCaprio in the starring role. It is slightly ironic that he played a revolutionary in this film, but, real life behaviour aside, his acting was very good. He always has a way of delivering dialogue in a believable and snappy way - it makes you pay attention. He also had really good chemistry with Benicio del Toro, which made for some very fun moments.

It was Chase Infiniti, however, who stole the show, with what turned out to be one of my favourite acting displays of the whole year. She nailed the resilient, stubborn, strong-willed nature of her revolutionary daughter character, and delivered a composed, likable, determined, and all around excellent, performance. She really excelled with her facial expressions, especially in the second half of the film - some of her reactions were masterful.

Sean Penn's antagonist was absolutely terrifying, at points, in part, because it was just so believable. I could definitely imagine a character like that existing in real-life, modern-day America. He symbolised so many white men in power - he even moved like them. Penn felt so full of the hypocrisy and hatred that his character represented - it was so impressive to watch. This was quite comfortably the best performance Penn had given in a long time.

The supporting cast was also full of quality acting, nost notably from the ever-talented Benicio del Toro, who very arguably overshadowed DiCaprio at times, with his incredibly likable and infectious performance. I was also thoroughly impressed by Regina Hall, despite her relative lack of screentime - she was so endearing, I wanted to see more of her. I should also, of course, credit Teyanna Taylor for her incredibly charismatic and bold performance - she left an undeniable impact on the film. The other name I wanted to mention was Tony Goldwyn's, because he was able to make a surprisingly effective villain out of not very much screentime.

Overall, I thought this was a modern masterpiece, and another instant classic from Paul Thomas Anderson. In a period of more and more biopics, sequels, and prequels, 'PTA' delivered an absolute stormer of an original film, which will no-doubt be a serious contender for major honours when awards season roles around again. Films like this don't come around all too often, but they should be appreciated for what they are when they do. This is such an important and well-made film for the present day, and not just in the world of films and media.