Reviews of One Battle After Another: “An American Madness”
According to CinemaDrame News Agency, critics have unanimously praised Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another. The first wave of reviews, released just minutes ago, describe the film as a “classic,” a “masterpiece,” and a serious Oscar contender. The film currently holds a 98% score on Metacritic and 96% on Rotten Tomatoes.
The story follows a group of former revolutionaries who reunite after 16 years to rescue the daughter of one of their members when their enemies resurface. With a $140 million budget, the film is a modern adaptation of Thomas Pynchon’s novel Vineyard and stands as Anderson’s most expensive production to date. The cast includes Leonardo DiCaprio, Benicio Del Toro, Sean Penn, Alana Haim, Wood Harris, Chase Infiniti, and Regina Hall, with Michael Bauman as cinematographer and Jonny Greenwood composing the score.
One reason for the film’s unexpectedly rapturous reception may be its resonance with contemporary American realities, particularly gun violence that has pushed the country to “the brink.” Anderson’s tenth film has even flipped the usual trend, scoring higher on Metacritic than on Rotten Tomatoes. Aside from Slant, which published a relatively negative review, nearly all others have been overwhelmingly positive.
Highlights from Critics:
- Empire: “In years to come, when this film plays late at night on television, it will be impossible to turn off. One of those films. An instant, unquestionable classic.”
- Daily Beast: Calls it an “antifa anthem for our deranged America in 2025,” adding: “Its furious message, amplified by masterful filmmaking, comes through loud and clear.”
- The Times: “I don’t know if this is Anderson’s masterpiece, and while Sean Penn’s crazy colonel veers toward cartoonishness, the film has Best Picture Oscar written all over it.”
- IndieWire: “It may be one of Anderson’s lighter works, but the intimacy of its horrors—and how humans casually impose their cruelty on the innocent and vulnerable—leaves no doubt.”
- Slashfilm: “Often like a powder keg ready to blow… yet Anderson keeps it consistently entertaining and funny. Nearly everything DiCaprio does here is hilarious.”
- Collider: “Anderson has pulled off something rare: a massive, studio-financed action film that still preserves his tone and style, and feels essential for our chaotic modern era.”
- The Telegraph (five stars): Hails DiCaprio’s performance as comparable to Jack Nicholson in his prime: “This urban war thriller features heists, standoffs, and two of the best car chases in years.”
One Battle After Another opens on September 26.
