The title is apt; this really is one battle after another. On PTA’s tenth feature film, he stews his filmography into his spiciest serving yet. There’s a pinch of the counterculture coolness of Inherent Vice, a smattering of Punch-Drunk Love‘s staccato rhythm, and a fresh seasoning of more adrenaline than we’ve ever seen before from the American auteur.

Beginning by dropping the viewer directly, at eye level, into the militant action of a rebellion group called the French 75, you’re thrown right into the violent carnage of their mission and the sexual charge of an affair between two members. Played by Leonardo DiCaprio and Teyana Taylor, we’re first tricked into thinking this will be a movie about revolutionaries in love, or perhaps even a political movie about this group’s mission, which is, albeit loose but appropriately mirroring the many worries smothering Americans right now with concerns towards women’s rights, access to healthcare and Donald Trump’s cruel treatment of immigrants.

But no, it’s not. As their short-lived glory crumbles, a different picture emerges, led by Sean Penn’s incredible performance as Steven J Lockjaw, a character at once both utterly villainous and completely ridiculous. At this point, you think the rest of the movie might be a manhunt or a revenge plot, but as the twists and turns keep coming, making that long run time seem snappy, the complexity makes for a real trip.

One Battle After Another is a trip with intense action, even honouring 1980s ‘muscle action’ in certain moments. There are plenty of car chases and shootouts to thrill, and when paired with Jonny Greenwood’s score, the intensity of that side of the film’s dual mode is stepped up even further.

However, it wouldn’t be a PTA production if the action didn’t have more to it. One Battle After Another is boosted first simply by the stunning and, at times, even poetic visuals. Shot on 35mm film using Vistavision, it’s gorgeous to start with. But in the mirrored, split-screen scenes – especially a particularly moving pair of images of Taylor’s character, Perfidia Beverly Hills, and then later Chase Infiniti as Willa Ferguson, both brandishing huge guns against rural backdrops, decades removed – PTA’s consideration and careful intention is revealed masterfully. 

It’s revealed too in the huge melting pot of feelings. There’s the classic energy of an action flick, but this one is packed with downright silly humour that lightens the load and keeps things entertaining as well as engaging. There is also a real, genuine heart that is carried by the father-daughter dynamic between DiCaprio and Infiniti’s roles. For Infiniti, this is a star-making picture. Sure to launch her into huge things, this one flick alone is a powerful resume proving her potential across the board of action, drama, comedy and high emotional intensity with tear-jerking moments instantly chasing total bad-ass behaviour.

With a cast as strong as the one on display, and with a director as celebrated as PTA, One Battle After Another was always likely to be good. But what you have here is a truly great movie that still honours PTA’s style and legacy, while almost being endlessly engaging on so many levels, from the apt political tension of our times, to the simple hook of a high-octane action movie.

Revitalising old stars and launching new ones, it does it all there too, as every single element of this movie, every person and every detail, feels masterful. It’s a Hollywood romp that has been through the rigours of arthouse attention to detail and intention to stir.

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