We're a few months out from awards season, but there’s one film already on everybody's lips. Paul Thomas Anderson's One Battle After Another has topped the box office in its first weekend, bringing in $22.4 million USD in North America alone. And it's not just commercially viable, the action-filled comedic thriller also has critics talking, and it seems like the Academy is all but guaranteed to take notice. Here's why.
What is the plot?
The film's cryptic logline reads: “When their evil enemy resurfaces after 16 years, a group of ex-revolutionaries reunites to rescue one of their own's daughter.”
Loosely inspired by Thomas Pynchon’s Vineland, the film charts a group of notorious political activists known as the French 75 across two time periods. The first is the group's heyday in the early 2000s. The second is the present day, when former activist Bob (Leonardo DiCaprio) is brought back into the fold when his daughter, Willa (Chase Infiniti), goes missing. Without giving too much away, it's the group's OG nemesis, military officer Col. Steven J. Lockjaw (Sean Penn) who begins hunting members of the French 75 down again – and what follows is a poignant (and at times hilarious) commentary on the state of US politics and nationalism.
Who else is involved?
DiCaprio plays Bob, a washed-up revolutionary, who lives off the grid with his self-reliant daughter Willa, played by Infiniti. It's a memorable first film for the 25-year-old actress, who has previously also appeared in Presumed Innocent.
Tenaya Taylor is Perfidia Beverly Hills, Bob's former partner and Willa's mother, who has been MIA since she was captured as part of the French 75, and forced to give away the identity of her fellow activists. Among them, you might recognise Alana Haim, Regina Hall, Paul Grimstad, Wood Harris, and Shayna McHale.
What are people saying?
To put it lightly, the reviews are glowing. Letterboxd reported the film has become the highest-rated film on the platform for 2025, knocking Weapons off the top spot. Some of our favourite reviews, below:
