A funny and moving masterpiece
Film critic Jason Evans is on a mission to tell you everything you need to know about movies in less time than it takes to plant a bomb. His reviews are exactly 100 words long (99 is too short while 101 is just excessive). Here is his 100-word review of One Battle After Another.
The Premise: Bob Ferguson (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a member of
the French 75, a revolutionary group fighting the military/industrial leaders
of a fictional America. He is in a relationship with Perfidia (actress and singer Teyana Taylor), who is the most radical and violent member of their
group. They are being hunted by Col. Stephen Lockjaw (Sean Penn), a brutal
military commander who is a leading immigration enforcer for the government.
After Perfidia has a baby, Bob leaves the fight to raise his daughter, Willa
(played by newcomer Chase Infiniti). But, 16 years later, Col. Lockjaw comes
after Willa, throwing Bob’s life into turmoil. The film also stars Benicio del
Toro, Regina Hall, and Tony Goldwyn. It is written and directed by award-winning
auteur Paul Thomas Anderson (Boogie Nights, There Will Be Blood, Licorice
Pizza).
The 100-words: I always enjoy it when PTA embraces a
narrative (Boogie Nights and Licorice Pizza) rather than a character study
(Phantom Thread, The Master) and he certainly has a story to tell here, one
that feels ripped from current events in our country. The propulsive script
contains more action than any other PTA film and the movie never slows down as
a result. It is also laced with plenty of very funny moments with Leo’s
character largely being played for laughs. Battle is full of award-caliber
performances, especially from Penn and Infiniti. This is certain to be a big Oscar
contender.
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