Ronit J

One Battle After Another (2025) Synopsis:

Some search for battle, others are born into it.

When their evil nemesis resurfaces after 16 years, a band of ex-revolutionaries reunite to rescue the daughter of one of their own.

One Battle After Another (2025) Review:

I’m just going to say this: One Battle After Another is an absolute masterpiece. 5/5 stars.

Not only is this a phenomenal cinematic experience, it is also ridiculously entertaining. And it is so the while touching upon topics that are relevant and important to today’s zeitgeist. I was contemplating whether or not I want to review this film, because I don’t want to sound biased. And yet, I do want to share my thoughts about this masterpiece.

The film begins with youthful zeal. It’s charged up with energy and drive to do something. It’s sexy, careless, and wild. The film literally starts with a group of revolutionaries called the French 75 invading a border checkpoint and releasing detained Mexican immigrants. Perfidia Beverly Hills (Teyana Taylor) starts a relationship with fellow revolutionary, Ghetto Pat Calhoun (Leonardo DiCaprio). Their radical violent activities are promptly followed by passionate sex. In the midst of all this, Perfidia even starts an affair with Col. Steven J Lockjaw (Sean Penn). Later, after getting pregnant and delivering a baby, she feels tied down by domestic life, and leaves. Lockjaw catches her, and offers to free her if she gives up her fellow revolutionaries. Sadly, she does.

However, Perfidia doesn’t remain within witness protection. She flees the country and continue living like a revolutionary. Meanwhile, her fellow revolutionaries are forced to go underground to avoid arrest. Sixteen years later, when Lockjaw is about to join a super elite group akin to the Illuminati, they demand if he’s clean. Even a potential rumour of an interracial affair could ruin his chances. That prompts him to hunt for Baby Charlene/Willa (Chase Infinity), kickstarting an action-packed cat-and-mouse chase between aging men trying to overcome their past actions.

Sins of the Past, Scars of the Present

Like real life, the film’s past is cause for its present’s doom. The film’s youth suffer from the sins of their fathers, their fathers scrambling to undo their past mistakes. In many ways, almost every character suffers as a result of someone else’s actions, and spend the most of the film scrambling to survive with their limited skill-sets. Which makes you wonder, isn’t that what we’re all doing?

Thematically, there’s a lot going on here, and all of it is valid. From the emotional arcs of past mistakes, to the political commentary reflective of our current times, One Battle After Another has a lot to say. But, it doesn’t tell you anything; it just shows you an epic film with interesting characters an a thrilling plot. The themes and underlying narratives are yours to ponder over. Are the white supremacist billionaire group a nod to a real life threat to humanity? Is Lockjaw’s using the military as his personal gang of goons reflective of how the elite class wages war using tax payer money to further their profits?

Is there a reason that the revolutionaries fighting for just causes—the objective protagonists and heroes of the film—are treated like terrorists? I’ll do you one even better: why does the film show so many immigrants hiding from the authorities in a time where ICE raids have become so common?

Conflicts (both personal and political) are perpetual in nature. The ones we deal with come not from our choice, but from the situations. In their youth our characters fight like there’s no tomorrow. But sixteen years later, that yesterday completely disrupts their today. Their past politics threatens to ruin their personal lives, and these personal stakes drive the film forward.

And that film is as thrilling, captivating, and mind-blowing as you’d expect. No amount of hype could have prepared me for this.

Cinema at its Finest

Everyone hailed Oppenheimer as the greatest film of all time. I found it to be extremely dull and soulless.

Everyone hails One Battle After Another as the greatest film of the year. I am inclined to agree. Because unlike Oppenheimer, OBAA doesn’t depend on the director’s fame and acclaim, nor does it hold its celebrity cast as crutches for popularity. One Battle After Another presents a cinematic experience that’s as thrilling as it is moving. 162 minutes long, the film never slows down to feel boring. It doesn’t demand your attention, instead it holds it with its stellar visuals, exceptional sound design, unsettling musical score, and its cast’s acclaim-worthy performances.

Every once in a while, an unsuspecting film reminds me of what the power of cinema is. Think of the 2007 neo western, No Country For Old Men. Widely hailed as one of the best films of all time. While that is a subjective take, you’d be lying if you said it’s cinematic mediocrity. OBAA reminded me of NCFOM, especially in the way it doesn’t shy from showing you the nastiest side of America, grounded by political relevancy.

Whether you look at OBAA as a storyteller, a cinematographer, a political analyst, or a filmmaker, you’ll find a ton of material to appreciate. I think I’ve finally matured enough to truly understand the complex beauty of Paul Thomas Anderson’s films. Or maybe OBAA just fits perfectly within the many facets of my understanding, allowing me to fully appreciate it from every lens.

This was undoubtedly one of the best cinematic experiences of this year. I don’t just give out 5/5 stars to any film. It has to be something truly special.

One Battle After Another (2025) Ending Explained (SPOILERS)

After confirming that Willa is his daughter, Lockjaw orders Avanti (Eric Schweig) to dispose of her. He refuses because she’s underage, but agrees to deliver her to a far-right militia group. While Avanti does so, he remains skeptical of his actions. Finally, he frees her, and engages in a shootout with the militia, where they all kill each other. Willa grabs his keys and drives off with his car.

Meanwhile, as Lockjaw is driving back, he runs into Tim, who shoots him dead to ‘clear his name’ for nominating Lockjaw. Lockjaw’s car barrels off the road, and Tim drives off, searching for Avanti and Willa. Meanwhile, Bob/Ghetto Pat comes across Lockjaw’s accident, and rushes in search of Willa. Tim finally sees Avanti’s car and almost catches up. However, Willa stops her car at a blind summit and hides. Tim into crashes into her car because he couldn’t see it. Willa then shoots him dead. Bob arrives, and they drive off.

Sometime later, Lockjaw—severely scarred, but still alive—tries to enter the Christmas Adventurers again. They welcome him in, only to kill him with lethal gas and dispose his body. Meanwhile, Bob finally gives Willa a letter that Perfidia had written to her before she abandoned the French 75. She apologises for everything and promises to reunite with the family.

The film ends with Bob giving his blessings to Willa as she departs for a protest in Oakland. She is walking the same path as her parents, but hopefully in a more healthy manner. The cycles of trauma might not have ended, but the healing seems to have begun.

Is One Battle After Another (2025) worth watching?

Yes. It’s being hailed as one of the best movies of the year for a reason.

In Conclusion:

One Battle After Another (2025) by Paul Thomas Anderson is definitively one of the best cinematic experiences of 2025. Watch it for it will remind you what cinema is capable of.

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Until next time!