One Battle After Another: A Modern Revolution

One Battle After Another is an unconventional cinematic experience that has such depth in its storytelling that it makes the most outrageous aspects feel ripped from the headlines of the current news cycle while supplying emotional impact to the lives of all the characters swept up in the generational tide of activism against corrupted authority. Paul Thomas Anderson’s screenplay based on the book Vineland by Thomas Pynchon reimagines certain characteristics of the narrative for modern day while staying true to the essence of the story, but his directing is what crafts this tale into a memorable, tension filled masterclass of boundary pushing, thought provoking, theatrical ingenuity in no uncertain terms. The cast is at the height of their powers with Teyana Taylor, Regina Hall and Benicio del Toro giving performances that help the viewer understand the lay of the land in this particular setting. Chase Infiniti in her feature film debut  is able to hold her own with the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio in an endearing role with touches of comedy and Sean Penn in a villainous role that is equal parts pathetic & bone chilling scary. The cinematography by Michael Bauman takes full advantage of the format used to film this movie to make it feel epic, the editing by Andy Jurgensen keeps the pacing steady with highs that are followed by lows that catch you off guard with their dramatic weight and the score by Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood is able to provide each scene with a certain level of gravitas. This is an awards contender on all levels of filmmaking, with scenes that will be used in lessons on dynamic narration and worth checking out if just for the gripping climax.

4 & 1/2 out of 5