One Battle After Another

Tropic Sprockets by Ian Brockway

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From the always unique Paul Thomas Anderson (“Licorice Pizza”), “One Battle After Another” is a dense and visual character study that is as comical as it is immersive. It is full of cinematic references, twists and turns and it is visually impactful. It also has touches of a Hollywood matinee cliffhanger, and it is a true American epic, loosely based on the novel Vineland by Thomas Pynchon.

Bob (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a revolutionary fighter and terrorist in the French 75 group. In his youth he was nimble but now Bob is wary and beaten down by his stressful existence. He is madly in love with his partner Perfidia (Teyanna Taylor) who is pregnant with child. The seductive Perfidia is more passionate about the group’s revolutionary endeavors, and she is certainly more flexible in every sense of the word.

On the other side is Colonel Lockjaw (Sean Penn) who is driven to eradicate the organization.

Sergio St. Carlos (Benicio del Toro) is a karate instructor who agrees to help Bob survive against the threat of Colonel Lockjaw and the police.

The action is fast paced, and the pathos is as intense as any novel. Bob is fierce, sweating, and fretful. He is also childlike and regrets his past to an extent.

The actor Taylor is unbound by restraint, and brave. Her character utilizes a machine gun, exposing a giant pregnant belly.

The full kudos for a madcap reckless spirit and verve goes to Sean Penn for his portrayal of a soldier driven by madness and sadism, though possessing a secret fetish for masochism and submissiveness. He appears as a cyborg of hate and madness, yet within his expression there is a quivering vulnerability veiled within the ultra-overt iron machismo. His performance is both comic and frightening. Lockjaw careens between rage and ridiculousness.

There are many cinematic references. A chase scene features vehicles and elements from the Peter Yates film “Bullitt” (1968). And when one character refers to another as a witch, the Wicked Witch of the West theme can be heard from the iconic 1939 Oz film. Last but not least, during a windshield montage, there are striking base notes reminiscent of Bernard Herrmann’s score from “Psycho” (1960). Lastly on narrative matters, the young daughter (Chase Infiniti), coupled with a grizzled cowboy revolutionary, might remind one of “True Grit” (1969 and 2010 in remake).

The finale goes full tilt including eugenics and cults, highlighting our Grand Guignol times in politics and beyond.

This is probably the most action packed of Anderson’s films. It is rich with force and character, exceedingly entertaining and visceral in its daring, recalling the high spirit of cinema in the 1970s.

Write Ian at ianfree11@yahoo.com