One Battle After Another is Paul Thomas Anderson’s tenth feature film. He tells a compelling story that meets the moment America is currently in.

The film opens with a political group known as the French 75, a collection of revolutionaries raging a war against the U.S government, targeting an immigration detention center and releasing the detainees. Perfidia Beverly Hills (Teyana Taylor) is the fierce leader of the group. Bob (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a group’s explosive specialist/bomb technician. During the French 75’s siege, Perfidia captures and humiliates Colonel Steven J. Lockjaw (Sean Penn) who was in command of the detention center.

Sometime later, Lockjaw is obsessed with finding Perfidia. He’s chasing after her the same way Thaddeus Ross hunted The Incredible Hulk in the 70’s TV show. It becomes obvious his obsession with Perfidia may be more than just his desire to catch a militant leader.

Perfidia and Bob’s intense revolutionary romance leads to the birth of their daughter Willa (Chase Infiniti). After a French 75 bank robbery goes wrong, Bob narrowly escapes with Willa as they flee the city.

Sixteen years later, Bob is a weed smoking ex-revolutionary that sits on his couch all day. Willia is a teenager doing what teenagers do. On the surface she looks like a regular seventeen-year-old. Underneath the moody teenage exterior she’s training in martial arts, learning to communicate in code, and never leaves the house without a tracking device – she’s told if she ever meets anyone with the same device to trust them with her life. Bob looks like the craziest conspiracy theorist helicopter parent living like the poet Suga Free once said, “If you stay ready, you don’t got to get ready.”

When the past resurfaces, it puts Willa in the crosshairs of Lockjaw.  Bob must remember his revolutionary ways to save his daughter.

One Battle After Another may be Paul Thomas Anderson’s best work to date. His films usually are beautiful but often dripped in nostalgia. This film focuses on current issues our society is forced to reckon with. It’s a phenomenal story that takes you on a journey that spans decades. The journey is laugh out loud, heartwarming, and incredibly violent at times. Overall, the story a reminder of the battles we’re willing to have and the things we are willing to fight for.

The film is also very smart. PTA introducing the Christmas Adventurers and how they tie into the plot was genius. The way the Adventurers talked about the people in the sanctuary cities is juxtaposed with what the audience is seeing. It’s a way to highlight they dysfunction in our current political discourse and the refusal of so many people to have an honest discussion about what’s happening at our borders and who is being harmed by these policies.

The performances by Leonardo DiCaprio and Sean Penn may place little gold statues in their hands very soon. DiCaprio as Bob is his funniest performance. Yes, Bob has some funny lines but most of the comedy comes from DiCaprio’s physical performance. Bob is always shuffling around quickly like someone trying to catch a flight that’s about to leave the gate. The scene with Sensei (Benicio Del Toro) and Bob trying to escape while Bob is desperately trying to charge is phone is unexpectedly funny. It’s a simple bit that’s even funnier considering the circumstance the characters are in. One of the biggest laughs occurs when Bob is trying to remember the revolutionary codes but can’t quite remember what they were. The growing frustration and desperation in DiCaprio’s voice is hilarious to watch.

Sean Penn as Colonel Lockjaw is a different kind of performance. His is unintentionally funny.  The best example is the scene when Willa asks why his shirt is so tight. Penn’s performance contrasts with DiCaprio’s. Lockjaw presents like a loyal solider that is willing to do whatever is asked of him. Truthfully, Lockjaw is a little man who masks his true love and desires with authoritarian ideas and racism. He’s willing to do whatever he needs to hide the person he truly is. He’s a man in crisis looking for the easiest way out.

The film’s breakout performance is Chase Infiniti as Willa. Her performance will be garner a lot of praise, and rightfully so. There’s a quiet intensity Infiniti delivers that’s pitch perfect for her character. PTA hides his hands on who Willa really is and if she’s learned anything the past 16 years from her revolutionary father. The story shows Willa’s wit, radical activism, and intelligence at the right time. Those scenes hit like the perfect note in a song. Infiniti delivers during each one of those moments. Moviegoers will be seeing Chase Infiniti on their screens for the next few years.

The early buzz around One Battle After Another was warranted. It’s as good as advertised. It’s good for all the reasons people have said. Every year we get a few movies that are universally loved. Early this year, Ryan Coogler’s Sinners was a film that was loved by many. 6 months later, PTA delivers another crowd pleasing film. Similar to Coogler, PTA gives us a film that makes you think and feel while being incredibly entertaining. One Battle After Another may not be the cultural phenomenon Sinners is, but it is a film that people will love and will be the frontrunner for Best Picture.

Grade: A