Written by Sam Clark 

Certificate: 15 

Running time: 162 minutes

Director: Paul Thomas Anderson

The first time I saw There Will Be Blood, I thought two things: this is one of the most boring films I have ever seen, but it is also one of the most breathtaking and staggering pieces of cinema I have ever encountered and that has ever been made. But this is why we watch films and go to the cinema, to experience stories told to us by someone who knows exactly what they want to deliver us and how to do it, even though they make us feel this way. I believe Paul Thomas Anderson is one of the greatest filmmakers to have ever lived, and we have yet another reminder here of why that is. When A Big Bold Beautiful Journey came out last week, my biggest takeaway with it, flaws aside, was that it was a nice and pleasant piece of escapism to enjoy during a dark period in the world. One Battle After Another is similar, but purely in the sense that this will ruffle some political feathers and doesn't as much poke the bear, but punches it directly in the face and runs away.

Paul Thomas Anderson writes and directs here, and tells the story of a political revolutionary group called ''The French 75''. Leonardo DiCaprio is Bob Ferguson, a former member of the group who took part in their activities such as rescuing immigrants from detention centres and orchestrating attacks in banks and so on. He begins a relationship with fellow activist Perfidia Beverely (Tenya Taylor) and has a child named Willa played by Chase Infinti making her big screen debut. Other characters include Colonel Steven Lockjaw (Sean Penn), activist Deandra (Regina Hall) and Willa's karate instructor Sensai Sergio St. Carlos (Bencio Del Toro). Whilst on a raid of a detention centre at the start of the film, Perfidia humiliates the colonel in a certain manner which causes him to begin to have an obsession with her. After Willa is born, Perfidia continues to take part in assignments for the group, which only distances her from Bob and Willa even more.

''The French 75'' begin to fall apart and unravel. Perfidia is captured and taken into custody, and Lockjaw convinces her to give up information which forces everyone to go into hiding. Bob becomes a father figure and raises Willa off the grid, but starts to forget code words and password belonging to the group, highlighting just how isolated his life has now become. Sixteen years pass, Willa is now a teenager, and Lockjaw resurfaces and begins to capture or kill any member of the organisation who are left, leaving her a target. Bob must seek the help of old allies for urgent help and must return back to the life he left behind. There have been times in the past when films make such an impression and burst onto the scene in such fashion, that you are able to call and predict Oscar success and triumph long before the awards season rolls around.

Best Picture and Best Director may be locked in here. Not only is this the case behind camera, but Anderson works with a stellar cast who deliver the best performances you will see this year. This may be DiCaprio's best career turnout as he relishes in what he does best: all out panic and anxiety, perhaps more so here than he's ever done before. But it is Sean Penn who may have run away with Best Supporting Actor here as the enigmatic colonel harbouring dark secrets, who unlike DiCaprio, is a far more soft spoken but still entirely unnerving individual who is still able to command every scene he is in. He is staggeringly impressive but equally as disturbing. Chase Infiniti is making her feature debut here and what a film to mark it with, not only in Paul Thomas Anderson's new film, but the most expensive film of his career - so no pressure. She is fantastic here and completely stands on her own two feet and we have a star in the making. 

A film's budget is never the most important thing, but there has been a lot of attention paid to the fact how just how expensive this is, and we aren't just talking about a little more than what he usually works with ($20 to $30 million dollars- roughly). One Battle After Another, somehow, has an astronomical $175 million dollar budget. The reason this has been made such a big deal is how something like this, an arty, political drama from Anderson whose work could not be further from films usually with this amount of money, can possibly be given so much backing and how this has possibly happened. As to what the money has gone towards I could not tell you, as most films with this much financial support tend to feature world ending threats and characters with superpowers, though I could not really spot any here unfortunately. But when you have this cast and DiCpario the forefront, you need not to worry. 

We begin the film in exhilarating fashion which is then maintained for the majority of it's near three hour runtime. One of the biggest compliments I can pay the film, if not the biggest, is that this is the shortest and quickest near three hours I've ever spent in a cinema. For something that is is energetic and crazy as this is, the fact there are also moments that are as still and quiet as they are speaks to Anderson's understanding and masterful execution of the craft. This includes one of the most patient and expertly handled car chases I have ever seen which trades frantic camera movements and action for suspense. He has also opted to shoot in VistaVision (feeding 35mm film horizontally through the camera, which creates a larger frame size), which we rarely see anymore. So not only is One Battle After Another an arthouse flick given the backing of the usual blockbuster, but it's style of shooting is completely unique as well. This feels nothing more than a properly defiant piece of cinema for Hollywood, going completely against the norm and beating it's chest. A true rarity. 

In cinemas now