3. One Battle After Another
Paul Thomas Anderson’s second adaptation of a Thomas Pynchon novel – in this case Vineland – is an intoxicating blend of then-and-now political protesting. French 75, a fictional revolutionary group like the Black Liberation Army in the '70s, robs banks to pay for their radical activities. The film begins with the liberation of a migrant detention camp. Lovers Perfidia Beverly Hills (Teyana Taylor) and "Ghetto" Pat (Leonardo DiCaprio), who's not Black, lead the charge.
Their well-organized "battles" get the attentilon of Col. Steven Lockjaw (Sean Penn), who's entranced by Perfidia. After arresting her, he offers Perfidia witness protection in exchange for sexual favors and information about her comrades.
Lockjaw's obsession with Perfidia and Pat's baby Willa, thinking it may be his, drives the rest of the movie. Perfidia escapes to Mexico, never to be heard from again. And Pat (renamed Bob) raises Willa. The story jumps 16 years to a now teenaged Willa (Chase Infiniti), who has questions about her mom, mainly, "Was she a rat?"
Bob’s a paranoid mess. He smokes weed non-stop (joints, pipe, vape pen), yet it hardly calms him down. Some have compared DiCaprio's performance to Jeff Bridges' Dude in The Big Lebowski. Bob even wears a bathrobe like the Dude and drinks a lot.
"I've fried my brain since then," Bob admits. "I have abused drugs and alcohol for the last 30 years. I'm a drug an alcohol lover."
While much of the focus is on DiCaprio and Penn, and to a lesser degree Benicio Del Toro whose Sensei Sergio hides migants fron prying police, it's really about the female members of the cast: Taylor, Infiniti, Regina Hall, Alana Haim and Shayna McHayle as Jungelpussy.
The last section is a non-stop chase with Willa kidnapped, Bob raided and Lockjaw in hot pursuit. The intense, hilly driving scenes and conclusion are reminiscent of the first two Mad Max movies.
One Battle has a 60% chance to win the Oscar for Best Picture. It gets my vote.
Watch One Battle After Another at Apple TV and other streaming services
