Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Benicio del Toro, Regina Hall, Teyana Taylor, and Chase Infiniti
Movie Length: 2 hours 42 minutes
What it’s about: A group of ex-revolutionaries must reunite when the daughter of one of them is kidnapped. The movie is based on Vineland by Thomas Pynchon.
What Dan thought: Paul Thomas Anderson movies tend to be a bit long, but often have great performances by everyone involved. One Battle After Another is both of those things. From the opening act which helps introduce a lot of the main characters, to the final act the movie moves at a good pace (but some of the scenes I felt went on a bit long).
The main cast included a lot of movie veterans all of whom did a great job…but also included newcomer Chase Infiniti in her first movie role. To say she did a great job would be an understatement as her performance may see her get some award nominations.
Jonny Greenwood (of Radiohead) has scored a few of Anderson’s movies (including Phantom Thread which he got an Oscar, BAFTA, and Golden Globe nominations for), and this score helped move the movie along at a great pace for a movie that is just under 3 hours long.
The movie itself has a few scenes which mirror what is happening in the United States currently (I won’t go into spoilers or get political here), so it may be tough for some viewers. Those scenes are very well done I must say.
Dan’s rating: 7/10. If you’re looking for a movie that will probably get some award nominations next year, or are a fan of Leonardo DiCaprio and/or Sean Penn and/or Benicio del Toro (who was under utilized IMO), this movie is one you should add to your must see list.
One Battle After Another is set to be released in theaters in the United States on September 26th.
Are you going to see the movie? Have you already? Feel free to leave a comment below or chat with us on Threads at @theconventioncollective, or Bluesky at @theconcollective.bsky.social
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