Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Regina Hall, Benicio Del Toro, Teyana Taylor
In “One Battle After Another”, the stars coerce and join together as if they’re fighting to save the world from a societal collapse. The film’s opening scenes has the look of that of a post apocalypse that just occurred, and the wave now is to just stay alive. However, the films superstar cast are actually nomadic rebels, on a quest to wreck havoc and fracture society’s organizational constructs. The film brings out veteran heavyweights Sean Penn, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Benicio Del Toro, while adding doses of spitfire from Regina Hall, and the rising star, Teyana Taylor. “One Battle After Another” is equal parts action, comedy, and suspense, and deservingly should checks multiple boxes for Oscar nominations.
This film merges ambiguity and mystery, to make for an edge of your seat thriller. Explosives in the film drive the diversions and give way to random romantic escapades from the group called, the French 75, revolutionaries. On initial take of the film, the French 75 appears to be a cult moving as one, destined and determined to upend the establishment. However, as the film develops, the revolutionaries break away and take on their own individual battles, with an opposing figure in trail. Nevertheless, each individual battle presents a unique challenge of its own, underlying as if it’s taking place in part of one larger grand war.
As one battle with a member of the French 75 revolution unfolds, coincidentally, another battle is beginning against the lead pursuant of the French 75. Alongside the outward battles against members of the French 75 revolution group, within the group, battles are also being fought internally, with each one’s self. As the battles rage on, and the running continues, the captures of the revolutionaries, and the attempted and actual slayings of one of the vigilantes and a French 75 pursuer, begin to happen. There is also a moral battle for self perseverance, and a battle to reveal the true identity of an offspring of the French 75’s once herald leader/eventual turncoat, and the French 75’s top opposer. This offspring is the one who will eventually serve as the future torchbearer that the revolutionaries mission is passed onto.
At the films climax, there are countless battles ensuing that do not look like there’s an end in sight. Yet, as one capture seems to be final and the demise of another appears to take place, another capture slips through the crack and goes free. The heads of the French 75 revolution brought to justice, inevitably fracture the system, just as fast as they are caught. Once thought to be departed members of the French 75, or a pursuant, is then seen or heard from again. The individual loops that seem to have come together, just sometimes don’t fully come to a close.
The film twist and turns like the roads that it takes place on. The beauty behind the madness is that there is no real closure or end to the battles. It’s like each battle just evolves into a new battle – or a battle simply takes on a different face. For some, a previous battle just carries on. The battles within the French 75 do not go away either. It leaves you hanging and holding on as if they’ll be a sequel to follow. The chases and walk aways together, set up for this being the favorite film of mine this year. The best way to put it is, there may be another “One Battle After Another”.
