One Battle After Another’ Joins ‘Sinners’ and ‘Hamnet’ as Early Oscar Contender From Paul Thomas Anderson

Looks like Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another is the next big Oscar contender. Let’s be real, the Oscar race is a marathon, not a sprint. But every so often, a movie explodes out of the gate with such force that you can’t help but pay attention. This year, it looks like Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest epic, One Battle After Another, is that movie. Fresh off a star-studded industry screening, the buzz is so loud it’s practically deafening.

One Battle After Another Getting Its Oscar Props

When you’ve got Hollywood heavyweights like Christopher Nolan and Rian Johnson showing up to watch, you know something special is happening. The early word? This isn’t just another artsy PTA flick that only film school nerds will appreciate. IndieWire is reporting that this fast-paced, hilarious, and genuinely entertaining action thriller is the real deal. After a “packed industry screening at the Steven J. Ross theater,” the film “played like gangbusters.”

That’s industry-speak for “people absolutely lost their minds.” It seems Warner Bros. might have a commercial and critical monster on their hands, and they’re already gearing up for a full-blown Oscar campaign. The Film Stage reported award-winning director Steven Spielberg describing the film as “really incredible.” He added, ” There is more action in the first hour of this than every other film you’ve (referring to Anderson) ever directed put together.”

What’s the Big Deal with One Battle After Another?

So, what’s all the fuss about? Loosely based on a Thomas Pynchon novel, One Battle After Another follows Bob Ferguson (played by Leonardo DiCaprio), a former revolutionary with a knack for explosives. He has a daughter with a fellow activist, Perfidia Beverly Hills (Teyana Taylor). Still, things go south when she gets on the bad side of a menacing military officer, Steven Lockjaw (Sean Penn). She vanishes, and Ferguson is left to raise their child alone.

Sixteen years later, Lockjaw returns, and, well, you can guess what happens next. DiCaprio is already getting massive Best Actor buzz for what sounds like a wonderfully unhinged performance. He described his character as a “sloppy hero,” a man who’s “haunted by his past… trying to be a father and failing miserably.” Forget the stoic hero archetype. Pressreader reported through the Irish Daily Mail quoted DiCaprio describing the character: “He’s a flawed protagonist, which I love to play.” Now that sounds like a role fans want to see.

More Than Just DiCaprio’s Next Oscar Bait

While Leo is getting the lion’s share of the attention (pun absolutely intended), the entire cast seems to be firing on all cylinders. Teyana Taylor is generating Supporting Actress buzz for her role as the “badass” Perfidia, a character she describes as “complex” and trying to navigate survival mode while dealing with postpartum depression. Then there’s Sean Penn, who fully embraced playing a “ramrod straight shaved-head racist,” the complete opposite of his own values.

DiCaprio told IndieWire how he was pleased with the imagination displayed in the script.  He told IndieWire, “The imagination of this world, where he pushes these extremes, creates humor that is both topical and holds a mirror to society right now. I would have done anything that Paul asked me to do.” And let’s not forget Benicio del Toro, who Anderson calls the “best goddamn actor driver in the business.” Behind the camera, it’s pure PTA magic. Anderson apparently shot the film in the rare VistaVision format and co-created the cinematography with Michael Bauman. 

Final Thoughts

For a movie that’s been in the works for over two decades, the hype is reaching a fever pitch. With a powerhouse cast, a master director at the top of his game, and early reviews that are nothing short of ecstatic, One Battle After Another is shaping up to be more than just an early frontrunner—it might just be the film to beat this awards season. The level of trust and creative freedom between the director and the actors seems to have produced something truly special.