One Battle After Another

One Battle After Another is a 2025 American action thriller written, produced, and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, inspired by Thomas Pynchon’s 1990 novel Vineland. The film follows an ex-revolutionary, “Ghetto” Pat Calhoun (Leonardo DiCaprio), who must rescue his daughter from a corrupt and obsessed military official, Colonel Steven Lockjaw (Sean Penn).

Set against a fractured America haunted by political extremism and moral decay, the story begins with Pat and his partner Perfidia (Regina Hall), members of a radical leftist group called The French 75. Their revolution takes a tragic turn when Perfidia becomes entangled with Lockjaw, leading to the birth of their daughter, Charlene. Sixteen years later, under new identities, Pat and his teenage daughter Willa (Teyana Taylor) live in hiding, only for Lockjaw—now a powerful figure within the U.S. security establishment—to begin hunting them down to conceal his past.

Blending high-stakes action with Anderson’s signature emotional depth, One Battle After Another traverses decades of disillusionment, following Pat’s desperate fight to protect his daughter as the sins of his revolutionary past catch up with him. The narrative evolves from a political thriller into an intimate father-daughter survival story, culminating in a violent reckoning that lays bare the costs of ideology, betrayal, and power.

Anderson had long sought to adapt Vineland, but ultimately merged elements from Pynchon’s world with his own original screenplay. Principal photography took place across California, marking Anderson’s first project to utilize VistaVision for principal shooting since the 1960s—a format shared only with The Brutalist (2024). The production budget reportedly swelled from $115 million to nearly $175 million, making it the most expensive film of Anderson’s career.

The ensemble cast features Leonardo DiCaprio as Pat Calhoun, Sean Penn as Colonel Lockjaw, Benicio del Toro as Howard Sommerville, Regina Hall as Perfidia, Teyana Taylor as Willa, and Chase Infiniti in a breakout supporting role.

One Battle After Another premiered at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles on September 8, 2025, followed by a global press tour in London, Mexico City, and New York. Released theatrically in the United States on September 26, 2025 by Warner Bros. Pictures, it became Anderson’s highest-grossing film, earning over $102 million worldwide. Shot for IMAX and projected in VistaVision, IMAX 70mm, Dolby Vision, and 4DX, the film drew widespread critical acclaim for its direction, performances, and visual grandeur. Critics praised Anderson’s fusion of political commentary and genre filmmaking, calling it one of his boldest works to date.