It does say that Paul Thomas Anderson’s new film is “based” on the Thomas Pynchon novel “Vineland” in the credits, but ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER is not a “Vineland” adaptation. What remains of Pynchon's work, above all, is the utopian element of an omnipresent, powerful left-wing counterculture, in which everyone—from skatepunks to socially engaged migrant aid workers and revolutionary nuns, to militant guerrilla organizations—helps each other and fights together.

At the same time, ONE BATTLE looks like it’s mocking the left at first. The white “Rocketman” aka “Ghetto Pat” aka “Bob” (Leonardo DiCaprio) and the Black “Perfidia Beverly Hills” (Teyana Taylor) are a couple. He builds things that explode or fly into the air, she “comes from a long line of revolutionaries,” as her mother explains, and therefore probably isn’t good enough for a “White Boy.” Perfidia is, quite simply, the most clueless revolutionary imaginable. During a rescue operation at the detention center, she engages in some rather bizarre sexual games with the ruthless elite soldier Steven Lockjaw (Sean Penn), and during a bank robbery, she not only shoots a guard but also gets herself arrested. Perfidia then makes a deal with Lockjaw and betrays her entire group, which calls itself "French 75." Everyone has to go into hiding. The child she is raising with "Ghetto Pat" (who may or may not be the father) stays with him. The two of them become "Bob" and "Willa."

16 years later, Lockjaw has been promoted to colonel and wants to join a fascist-racist elite club. However, a prerequisite for membership is not having had any sexual contact with Black people. Lockjaw wants to erase any evidence of such contact, and the most important evidence is Bob and Willa.

A film where militant leftists are the heroes, the system is thoroughly corrupted by totalitarian fascists, and the kindest, most unassuming characters, rather than the coolest and most outspoken ones, ultimately triumph—that isn't something we expect to see in 2025. The completely over-the-top soundtrack, scenes packed with explosions and mayhem reminiscent of a typical Marvel blockbuster, and the inclusion of the wonderfully beautiful version of the old song “Perfidia” by the Mexican trio Los Panchos are also worth celebrating. ONE BATTLE AFTER THE OTHER is entertaining and, if not exactly a call to revolution, at least a reminder of the importance of resistance.

Tom Dorow (INDIEKINO MAGAZIN)

Translation: Elinor Lewy