It’s no small feat to make a movie that’s two hours and forty-one minutes long feel like a 90-minute jaunt, but Paul Thomas Anderson has done just that with One Battle After Another. This is a movie that has so much going on within it, yet it never feels bloated or overwhelming in terms of the story it’s trying to tell. Usually at this length there are one or two times when a movie simply slows down to catch its breath, or at least pumps the breaks on the intensity momentarily; but One Battle After Another lives up to its name, with something always coming up for the characters to deal with, one right after the other, forcing the gas pedal to remain pressed to the floor from start to finish.
The film begins with the actions of a far-left revolutionary group called the French 75, who declare war on the military, government and banks by freeing detained immigrants, detonating bombs within empty banks and far-right politicians offices during off hours, and not being afraid to have their faces seen while doing so. Two of the higher-ranking members in this group are Perfidia Beverly Hills (Teyana Taylor) and “Ghetto” Pat Calhoun (Leonardo DiCaprio), with Calhoun being the explosives guy and Perfidia being much more hands-on and front-and-center with every attack. Their first attack is on a detainment camp, and it’s here that Perfidia runs into the commanding officer running the camp, Steven J. Lockjaw (Sean Penn), who she goes on to sexually humiliate before leading him out into the cell with the rest of the soldiers they’ve rounded up.
Lockjaw becomes obsessed with Perfidia and isn’t someone that you want to have on your bad side in terms of his mental stability. Months go by and Perfidia is close to 9-months pregnant, firing off an assault rifle at a French 75 location, yelling, “Bitch, I felt like Tony Montana!” while Calhoun looks on unamused, wondering if she even realizes she’s pregnant. After giving birth, Perfidia suffers from post-partum depression, leaving Calhoun to do the heavy lifting as the lone parent while she abandons them and returns to her revolutionary ways. This leads to a whole lot of trouble, which sees us taking a 16-year time jump after it all plays out.
Calhoun (now living under the alias Bob) and his daughter, Willa (Chase Infiniti), are living in Bakton Cross, California, completely off the grid, including no cell phones. Everything is going, well, I wouldn’t say fine, but at least okay enough given their circumstances. That is until Lockjaw catches wind of their location and makes it his mission to bring them in, no matter how much wrath and hellfire he leaves in his wake.
That’s about as brief a non-spoiler synopsis as I can give for those who may be interested but not know what the film is about. There’s so much more that happens during all of what I wrote and after, but it’s all just so much better being experienced over being described. It’d do no justice to the fantastic writing, acting, editing and directing of the film to give any more away, so it’s best to just say that if what was written sounds at all interesting, give this film a watch – and if it doesn’t, then I’d still say give it a watch anyway.
The film won the Golden Globe for Best Picture – Musical or Comedy, which may sound like an odd choice for the fairly extreme subject matter that takes place throughout; however, this is a dark comedy through and through, so while I feel it could’ve just as easily landed in the dramatic category, it winning Best Comedy is fitting. And while that may be the case, this is also a tense and action-packed film that is masterfully constructed by Anderson to build up the suspense consistently for over two hours before kicking it into gear for the final act.
As mentioned at the start, there isn’t a moment in the movie where it feels like it’s dragging, or you glance at your watch to see how much time may be left, or it feels as though it’s coming to a close only to have another 45-minutes remaining. This shouldn’t be overly surprising, as Anderson has proven himself time and time again, but it’s always a joy to be so engrossed in a movie that the runtime is irrelevant.
It also helps that he attracts and surrounds himself with superb talent who completely embody their characters. While DiCaprio will always be recognizable, his actions, demeanor and delivery all help transform him into the paranoid, alcoholic, pothead that Calhoun has become. Penn is fantastic, Teyana Taylor is captivating and steals every moment she’s on screen, and Regina Hall and Benicio del Toro both deliver wonderfully in supporting roles. Infiniti is also spectacular in her big screen debut, holding her own without any issue alongside these Hollywood heavyweights.
One Battle After Another is a likely contender for Best Picture at the Academy Awards and I won’t be surprised if it takes the top prize home when all is said and done. Whether that’s the case or not it doesn’t change the fact that this is one of the best films of 2025, delivered in the best format for home viewing with this 4K release, so awards or no awards, do yourself a favour and add it to your collection.
Overall Movie Score: 5/5
4K Blu-ray Video and Audio Review:
This is an absolutely gorgeous home transfer of this bound-to-be-classic film. It was shot on 35mm film, the 2160p/HDR10/Dolby Vision transfer delivers the type of quality that collectors yearn for, with clean, crisp imagery, spectacular detail, beautiful, natural lights and darks that come through clean and clear, and just a perfect all-around package from a visual standpoint. There’s nothing about this one to complain about, which only adds to its perfection overall.
Speaking of perfection, let’s jump right over to the Dolby Atmos mix that also just nails the gold standard on every level. From the music to the sound effects, we’ve got it all coming from all angles, filling up the room magnificently and helping to fully immerse the viewer in every scene. Again, nothing to complain about here and as we’ve just entered 2026, this will still be a contender one of the best releases of the year from a quality standpoint alone. Here’s hoping to many more like it on a technical standpoint in the releases ahead!
Special Features:
Sadly, the disc comes with no special features. There’s a Steelbook tentatively due out in March that I’ll hopefully get to cover which comes with a Blu-ray disc of features, but for this release you’re just getting the movie. So, for those who don’t care about special features then this is the version to jump on.
Disclaimer: A review copy of this Blu-ray was sent to me to cover in honest and truthful fashion.
Warner Bros. Pictures Presents One Battle After Another. Written & Directed By: Paul Thomas Anderson. Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Teyana Taylor, Chase Infiniti, Benicio del Toro, Regina Hall. Running time: 161 Minutes. Rating: R. Released on 4K Blu-ray: Jan. 20, 2026.
About Brendan Campbell
