lost pages

Director Paul Thomas Anderson strikes hard and fast in this gripping thriller.

As I begin writing this review, I have to admit that I am not someone who is very much into Paul Thomas Anderson films. It is not that I do not appreciate his past films, or admire the way he crafts such messy and complicated characters. It is more so, how I am not so deeply connected to his films than I originally thought.

And I do have another confession to make. I still believe I need to see more of his past films such as ‘Boogie Nights‘ (1997), which from what I understand actor Leonardo DiCaprio regrets not taking the project.

DiCaprio sure as hell could not make the same mistake twice. The latest film directed by Paul Thomas Anderson ‘One Battle After Another,’ delivers a chaotic and morbid inspection into rebels fighting the establishment, with a string of consequences. DiCaprio, in the lead role of the revolutionary ‘Bob’, must face his past nemesis and save his daughter Willa (Chase Infiniti) that has gone missing.

And boy the film sure runs close to three hours long, being two-hours and fifty minutes in runtime. But even though I wanted the film to be somewhat shorter in length, I respect that the film attempts to cover as much ground as possible.

The analogy I sort of have with this film, is stretching a rubber band and watching all the forward momentum as the band is released. The film tackles some real-world issues, that has parallels to the current day United States with immigration, racism, police violence and rampant division amongst communities.

Despite all sorts of heavy themes, the film does have a unique sense of humour almost basking in all the destruction and cynicism to find some nuggets of comfort. Although there is enough screentime to establish the intimate relationship between Bob and his lover Perfidia Beverly Hills, played by Teyana Taylor, I am not a fan of the latter’s character arc. However, what the film captures so well is the highs and lows of revolutionaries as they try to evade the law and get caught inside paranoia and heightened sense of security.

The stakes are well and truly set through the villain that is played by Sean Penn. I will not give too much away, but this character demands your utmost attention. There is levels of uncanniness and insecurity that is embodied by Sean Penn, down to the way he adjusts his physical movement and mannerisms.

The real star of the film, in my mind though was Chase Infiniti playing Willa Ferguson (Bob’s daughter). For such a young actress, she stood amongst seasoned professionals delivering such a raw, vulnerable and dynamic performance that makes me have no doubt that we will see more of her in future Hollywood projects.

The film creates tension and adds upon further tension leading to ensued chaos and delight. This movie works so well because it does not take itself too seriously, but at the same time knows when to pull its punches to deliver a killer blow. However, at times I felt that the movie could have wrapped up sooner than it did, being a bit too self-indulgent.

If you have the ability to watch this film in IMAX, I’d recommend it.

This was certainly one of the best theatre going experiences I have had in a long time, and is the type of film that inspires me to continue to work on my own creative projects.

Overall, Paul Thomas Anderson certainly captured my attention in this one.