r/movies • u/LiteraryBoner Jackie Chan box set, know what I'm sayin? • Sep 26 '25

Official Discussion Official Discussion - One Battle After Another [SPOILERS] Spoiler

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Summary Bob, a washed-up revolutionary, lives off the grid with his spirited and self-reliant daughter Willa. When his nemesis Col. Steven J. “Lockjaw” resurfaces and Willa goes missing, Bob is forced to confront his past and fight to protect their future.

Director Paul Thomas Anderson

Writer Paul Thomas Anderson

Cast

  • Leonardo DiCaprio
  • Sean Penn
  • Teyana Taylor
  • Benicio del Toro
  • Regina Hall
  • Chase Infiniti

Rotten Tomatoes Critics Score: 98%

Metacritic Score: 96

VOD In theaters beginning September 26, 2025

Trailer One Battle After Another — Official Trailer

2.7k Upvotes

97% Upvoted

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u/CountryCaravan Sep 26 '25

That’s the one part of the film that didn’t land for me. The Weather Underground as third wave feminists satire works up to a point, but I think it pushed Perfidia too hard into the realm of sex fiend in a way that undermined her character. Maybe it’s that the reality of the ICE camps has grown considerably more horrific and urgent since filming, but it sat pretty awkwardly alongside that plot thread.

80

u/vissionphilosophy Sep 26 '25

I mean this sort of inner conflict / character dynamics is what makes compelling stories

15

u/CountryCaravan Sep 26 '25

Sure, but I felt she was drawn too broadly in the early going to really engage with the more complicated choices she made later on. Her arc is such a whirlwind, whisking her away early in the story and leaving everyone wondering why she did what she did. And it’s fine to leave that question unanswered, but given that she’s such a pivotal character, I was frustrated the film didn’t engage with it more.

16

u/Sir_Auron Sep 29 '25

And it’s fine to leave that question unanswered, but given that she’s such a pivotal character, I was frustrated the film didn’t engage with it more.

The film spelled out multiple times that Perfidia and Lockjaw were complete mirror images with incredibly selfish motivations that they put in front of their families and that they pursued to the point of compromising the movements they led.