US EditionPrescient and Political, 'One Battle After Another' Is One of the Year's Best Films
Leonardo DiCaprio plays a former revolutionary forced back into action to rescue his kidnapped daughter amid rising authoritarianism and anti-immigration policies.
- Paul Thomas Anderson directed the action thriller One Battle After Another starring Oscar-winner Leonardo DiCaprio, which premiered on September 26, 2025, in Ster-Kinekor and The Bioscope cinemas.
- The film adapts Thomas Pynchon's 1990 novel Vineland, focusing on ex-revolutionary Pat Calhoun, who must reunite with old rebel comrades to rescue his kidnapped daughter from a corrupt military colonel.
- Set mainly in the present day, the story follows Pat, also known as Bob, hiding in the fictional town Baktan Cross as army colonel Lockjaw tightens his grip amid raids on the French 75 revolutionary group.
- One Battle After Another runs 162 minutes, holds a 98% Rotten Tomatoes score, and features a cast including Sean Penn—an actor with two Academy Awards—Benicio del Toro, Regina Hall, and Teyana Taylor.
- The film blends intense action, dark comedy, and political themes to examine authoritarianism, personal sacrifice, and societal conflict, prompting reflection on humanity's resilience in troubled times.
16 Articles
16 Articles
'One Battle After Another' Review: Leonardo DiCaprio goes for laughs in politically charged wild ride
Leonardo DiCaprio and Sean Penn star in Paul Thomas Anderson's action thriller "One Battle After Another" about underground revolutionaries being hunted down.
‘One Battle After Another’: Leonardo DiCaprio’s Dystopian Movie Release Date, Plot, Cast & More
The Oscar winner leads the action thriller film as a former revolutionary who must find and rescue his daughter. Here's everything you need to know about the film set in an authoritarian version of America.
The Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio is back on the big screen, in a thrilling thriller that denounces the drifts of America, entitled "One Battle After the Other", directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. Again, what strikes is the talent of LeonardoDi Caprio, which transcends American cinema.
‘One Battle After Another’s Wild Cult Twist Reveals An Uncomfortable Truth
Warner Bros. PicturesPaul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another has only just hit theaters, but audiences have already made up their mind about the feature. It’s been lauded as a masterpiece (and rightly so) by countless critics, and dubbed the most successful political film Hollywood has produced in decades. Neither of those accolades feel like a reach: One Battle is a supreme flex from a director who rarely missteps. It’s timely — and eve…
Prescient and political, 'One Battle After Another' is one of the year's best films
Paul Thomas Anderson's action thriller starring Leonardo DiCaprio is a loose adaptation of Thomas Pynchon's Vineland. It weaves zany dark comedy, sociopolitical satire and controlled narrative chaos.
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