ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER

Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson⁣⁣

Based on Vineland (1990) by Thomas Pynchon⁣⁣ Reviewed by Jason King

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This one is tricky to review. I could just write: “The Best Film of the Year | Leonardo DiCaprio’s finest turn since Django, matched with Sean Penn’s most ferocious performance of all time.” And honestly, that’s all true. But you know me, I can’t stop at a one-liner.⁣⁣

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𝐏𝐚𝐮𝐥 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐬 𝐀𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤:⁣⁣

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🎬 BOOGIE NIGHTS? Didn’t mind it—Marky Mark was hot AF.⁣⁣

🎬 MAGNOLIA? Loved it. Bonkers brilliance.⁣⁣

🎬 THERE WILL BE BLOOD? A Daniel Day-Lewis masterclass.⁣⁣

🎬 INHERANT VICE? Hated it. Just remembering makes me itchy.⁣⁣

🎬 PHANTOM THREAD? Probably my favourite of his, precisely because it didn’t feel like a PTA film at all.⁣⁣

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But let’s talk about Leo. I’ll see him in anything. I love him best when he’s having fun in a role and not chasing an Oscar, because when he does, he overacts. Here, he’s having the time of his life. This is his most entertaining performance since DJANGO UNCHAINED: hilarious, unpredictable, and entirely magnetic. Without him, the film wouldn’t have half its budget. Thankfully, he signed on.⁣⁣

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Sean Penn, though, this is career-best. He’s a terrifying blend of the Terminator and Sergeant Hartman from Full Metal Jacket: veering between menace and unsettling absurdity, especially in today’s Trumpian climate. That’s the unspoken core of the film: it forces us to confront racism, homophobia, and any repression head-on.⁣⁣

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Pynchon’s novel, set during Reagan’s re-election, reflects on the ‘60s counterculture, Nixonian repression, and the War on Drugs, showing how rebellion gave way to authoritarian control. Anderson’s adaptation holds up a cracked mirror to our own era. History repeats itself, only now with Trump as an even darker figurehead. The movie never states it outright, but it thrums beneath the surface. And yes, you’ll believe in the existence of something as unhinged as a Christmas Adventurers Club staging, you know, fake assassinations and the like.⁣⁣

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𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞: Bob (DiCaprio) is a washed-up revolutionary, fried on paranoia, living off-grid with his fiercely independent daughter, Willa. When his old nemesis resurfaces and Willa disappears, Bob is forced to confront both his past and his ideals in a wild chase for survival.⁣⁣

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It’s part political satire, part action blockbuster, and every A-Lister in the cast delivers. Besides Leo and Penn, Benicio del Toro adds his own brand of chaos, the nuns are unforgettable, and Leo’s baby mama will both terrify and mesmerise you.⁣⁣

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On top of all that? The cinematography is stellar, the road chase sequences are insane, and the whole thing feels bigger than PTA himself probably imagined.⁣⁣

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In the end, ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER is a screwball comedy draped over terrifying themes, equal parts outrageous and profound. See it for Leo’s giddy energy, stay for Penn’s tour-de-force, and for the love of cinema, go to the bathroom first. At just under three hours, your bladder will thank you. Me? I could have sat through five.⁣⁣

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Rating: 5 out of 5 for everyone's names alone 🤣🤣. This is and will end the year as my favourite film.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️