One Battle After Another by director Paul Thomas Anderson is a brand new film that takes a deep look into the well-known phenomenon of immigration in the US. The plot revolves around Bob (Leonardo Di Caprio), a retired revolutionary living undercover in a small village with his daughter Willa (Chase Infiniti). Bob is forced to return to his previous life by getting in contact with his old organization after his daughter was kidnapped by Colonel Lockjaw (Sean Penn). He will be emotionally and physically tested, going head-to-head against the American army, something he hadn’t done for over a decade.

One Battle After Another is destructive, very ambitious, and strangely emotional. It’s not usual to see a film like this every day; a film that utilises hyperboles and absurdity to show how governments and revolutionary groups truly work. This is something incredibly fascinating as it showcases Anderson’s true potential as a director and abilities to talk about relevant and serious topics (like immigration in this case) whilst still making us have a good time at the cinema or with friends.

The film has also been incredibly critically acclaimed, achieving impressive scores on reviewing platforms such as Rotten Tomatoes, with a score of 96%, and Metacritic, with a score of 95. Despite its stunning acclaim, the movie is struggling commercially as it is losing money due to the high cost of production and advertising for its campaign. Its opening weekend was considered disappointing, even if it had a very strong showing from urban audiences on opening night.

To conclude, One Battle After Another is certainly an important achievement for modern cinema, and it also helped hugely to put Paul Thomas Anderson out there, along with great directors operating nowadays. It is a sure recommended movie if you want to have a more relaxed experience without having to think philosophically about it, or are in for a deeper dive into the immigration topic.