Inspired by Thomas Pynchon’s novel Vineland, Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another is an action thriller that tells a story about the lengths fathers will go to when it comes to their daughter, albeit coming from different angles.
Buy One Battle After Another Blu-rayAs the film opens, the far-left revolutionary group French 75 frees detainees at a U.S. Mexico Border detention center. Two of their members are lovers, Pat Calhoun (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Perfidia Beverly Hills (Teyana Taylor). She encounters the center’s commander, Capt. Steven J. Lockjaw (Sean Penn), whom she sexually humiliates, which intrigues him. Time passes. Lockjaw finds her in a courthouse building planning a bombing, but rather than arrest her, he sets up a hotel rendezvous, which she agrees to.
After giving birth, she becomes jealous of the attention Pat gives to baby and rejects the limitations of domesticity when there’s a revolution to be fought. An attempted bank robbery is fouled up and she is captured bu authorities. Lockjaw says she’s going to jail if she doesn’t give up names. She goes into witness protection program. Her associates start getting caught, and Lockjaw makes sure some are killed rather than arrested. Perfida escapes to Mexico.
Sixteen years later, Pat and his daughter are living under new identities, Bob and Willa (Chase Infiniti). Bob is a heavy stoner. Willa is in high school and learns karate from her sensei, Sergio de Carlos (Benicio del Toro). Pat is overprotective of her, such as not allowing her to have a cellphone, but his concern proves well founded.
Lockjaw is brought in to join the Christmas Adventurer’s Club, a far-right wing organization. Racial purity is one of their tenets, and Lockjaw lies about having interracial relations. To cover his tracks, he seeks out Willa, concerned she might be his daughter. After learning her whereabouts, Lockjaw sends his forces under pretense of immigration and drugs to cover his real motivation.
Fellow revolutionary Lady Champagne (Regina Hall) comes upon Willa, reciting the passwords that let Willa know she can trust this person with her life. They head out to Sisters of the Brave Beaver compound to hide. Bob gets a call but years of getting high has affected his memory so he doesn’t remember code words or rendezvous points. He finally gets through and with help from Sergio heads for the compound, but not before Lockjaw gets there first. The Christmas Adventurer’s Club learns what Lockjaw is up to and why. Not happy about being lied to, they send an assassin to kill Lockjaw.
Anderson’s screenplay does a great job creating vivid characters brought to life by a talented ensemble that makes them and their scenes memorable, such as the times when Bob calls in for information without the proper password. Though many of the characters are driven by their politics, the film doesn’t judge them or their positions. The screenplay also delivers compelling plotlines that slowly intersect into a spectacular, satisfying climax of action as truths are revealed. Under Anderson’s direction, the camera always seems in the right place without drawing attention to itself.
Originally shot in VistaVision, the Blu-ray has been given a 1080p/MPEG-4 AVC encoded transfer displayed at 1.78:1. The colors appear in their proper hues, only varying in response to the lighting. Blacks are inky. The delivers fine texture details, from the pattern in Bob’s robe to the scuffed up windows at Sergio’s dojo. Some of the light sources, such as fluorescent tubes and car headlights are blown out.
The Dolby Atmos audio defaults to Dolby TrueHD 7.1. Dialogue is clear, but the Spanish is not given on-screen translations. Composer Johnny Greenwood’s score is very evocative, especially a piano sequence that’s repeated to great effect. The audio mix is well balanced and has a wide dynamic range, from the cacophony of gunfire ringing out to the soft sound of Sergio dragging a package across a wood floor.
One Battle After Another is a memorable addition to PTA’s filmography. The Blu-ray delivers a pleasing high-definition presentation. Unfortunately, there are no extras, not even a trailer. Maybe rushed out to take advantage of awards season, it deserves a look behind the scenes about its making.
