French 75 is a revolutionary group launching attacks across the United States to gain funds and to free those who’ve entered the nation illegally. When things go wrong and the group must go into hiding following disastrous events, they face a threat 16 years later that has returned to the forefront, prompting them to take action to stay safe and to continue their former mission.
It’s been several years since audiences got a Paul Thomas Anderson film, but with the arrival of ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER, he has delivered a modern American epic that certainly has more highs than lows. In his latest film. Mr. Anderson as united an all-star cast for a story that will keep viewers tense and on-edge from start to finish. There are Oscar-worthy performances on display from start to finish, gorgeous cinematography, and an atmosphere as only he could deliver.
An entire article could be written on the casting and the performances of ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER. With so many great portrays on screen here, it would be criminal if the film does not receive some Academy Award nominations. Leonardy DiCaprio gives one of the best performances of his career as a washed-up former revolutionary just struggling to raise his daughter and keep her safe; his performance at time borderlines on comedic, but always feels appropriate given what the character has gone through. A virtually unrecognizable Sean Penn makes for a chilling and perverted antagonist, giving audiences the villain they’ll love to hate, with Mr. Penn making an amazing comeback here. Other performances include Teyana Taylor as the estranged wife of DiCaprio’s character, Benicio del Toro as a karate sensei with a knack for helping those in need to steals the show in every one of his scenes, and newcomer Chase Infiniti as a beautiful young high school student who finds herself thrust into the film’s turbulent events.
The film is one of the most tense and extreme of recent years. The opening scenes before the 16-year jump feature the French 75 freeing people from behind gates and robbing banks, being forced to flee from authorities when events go horribly wrong, are some of 2025’s most intense on the big screen. Ultraviolent and unflinching, ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER is many things in its lengthy 160-minute duration. Boring is never one of them. Are the French 75 terrorists who are a threat to the American way of life, or are they freedom fighters and liberators? Elements like this are largely left ambiguous, which plays to the film’s strengths. What’s truly impactful and scary is how the events in this movie could unfold in the real world, which is one of the reasons Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest film is quite effective.
The production quality is equally impressive, with some absolute gorgeous cinematography. The soundtrack, including many licensed songs and a great score by Jonny Greenwood, all get the job done and then some. It looks fantastic, it sounds fantastic, and its excellently portrayed by all involved.
There are a few minor nitpicks with the film, even if it has more strengths than weaknesses. The film does feature many military and lawman characters, but the way they’re depicted is often laughable. Sean Penn’s military man character attempts to join a white supremacy group in the film that’ll allow him to go around the bureaucratic red tape in accomplishing his goals, but this group of people is so laughably over the top and ridiculous they’re hard to take seriously.
ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER is cinema it its most bleak and its most intense. Paul Thomas Anderson has crafted a modern-day American epic I’m sure audiences will be talking about for years to come. Its production design and casting, including a great feature film debut by young Chase Infiniti, make it one of the best movies of 2025. If you can endure the intensity and the running time, the film comes highly recommended.