We live in uncertain – and frankly quite terrifying – times, where nothing seems to make sense, politicians are the least trustworthy of all public figures, and we constantly seem to be on the edge of societal collapse, the decline of the culture seemingly being only a single word away. Yet, we continue to press on, fighting for the truth in a society that seems to view it as optional, if not an outright luxury. As one of the great social critics of his era, Paul Thomas Anderson is very much aware of how the world has changed over the past few decades, and we see this reflected in many of his films, which set out to capture the zeitgeist, whether of the past or the present, depending on where he chooses to set a particular project. After over two decades of making exclusively period films (all of which are extraordinary), Anderson returns to the contemporary era – or rather the closest approximation to it – with One Battle After Another, a film that has been stewing in his mind for twenty years, and which he finally manages to bring to life on screen. Inspired by Vineland by Thomas Pynchon (whose Inherent Vice was also the first official adaptation of his work, also shepherded by Anderson in what many are finally coming to see as one of his greatest achievements), the film follows the trials and tribulations of Bob Ferguson (the new name of “Ghetto Pat” Calhoun), a former militant who dedicated his youth to fighting for important causes, but who has now settled into a more simple, lazy life, one that isn’t defined by destruction and chaos. However, when his nemesis, a pedantic soldier with a chip on his shoulder and a peculiar obsession, re-emerges after many years and makes it clear that he intends to get revenge on Ferguson and his daughter, he is forced to bear arms once again, this time to defend not only his honour, but everything he holds dear. A brilliant, daring and provocative indictment of American culture, the joyful jingoism that has infiltrated the daily lives of the global population, and the nature of a reality that can easily be distorted to fit a particular narrative. Bold, daring and constantly pushing the boundaries of the medium in ways that can only come from a director who is self-assured enough to take these risks, but also has that rare curiosity that makes it quite clear that he’s experimenting with both form and content in ways that are nothing if not surprising.

As we’ve come to learn over the past few months, since more information about it has been revealed, One Battle After Another is not so much an adaptation of Vineland as it is a free-form collage of ideas, many of which were plucked from twenty years of Anderson attempting (and failing) to tackle Pynchon’s monumental novel. As a result, the director is able to extract the ideas that appeal to him the most, and redefine them under his own vision – and considering the path in which the United States has found itself travelling in recent years, his approach is both remarkable and deeply unsettling. He’s certainly not the first to comment on the state of the country (and the world at large), and he’ll most definitely not be the last – but there’s something so chilling about how he approaches these ideas that makes this film so incredibly fascinating. We can recognise many themes, since Anderson extracts them from several conversations surrounding the current socio-political conversation, rooting the film in an uncomfortable reality. However, its how he presents it that makes such a profound difference – white supremacists are not foul-mouthed hicks bandying about in cornfields, but rather suburban everymen, conducting their plans to establish a new world order from golf courses and corporate boardrooms, while revolutionaries are not always polished or even the most intelligent, but propelled by their desire to see change, by any means necessary. This is, at its very foundation, a film about the perpetual tug-of-war between good and evil, two oppositional forces that can never truly be eradicated, since one has to be present in order for the other to exist. In a landscape where people on both sides of the political aisle are yelling about the need to erase the other, One Battle After Another shows that it’s truly impossible, and a fool’s errand to even attempt such an act. Anderson is very careful with the political ideology he uses as a foundation for this film – it is clear where his personal views lie, but he also isn’t interested in proposing the idea of a fantasy in which right-wing extremism is destroyed in order to make way for some liberal utopia – he realises that this is a fantasy, and while he doesn’t attempt to play devil’s advocate by looking at both sides equally, he refuses to follow the same general conceptual trajectory as some of his peers. The result is a daring, provocative political satire that makes its intentions very clear from the start, and works laboriously to lay a firm conceptual foundation that never wavers from how it handles its multitude of ideas.

If we set aside the paranoia and action-packed, politically-charged commentary, we see that One Battle After Another is actually far deeper than just a wildly entertaining thriller about the ongoing tensions caused by ideological differences. These may propel the story forward and take it to some fascinating places, but the core of the film is much more simple – and it becomes clear throughout that Anderson was quite simply making a story about a father and his daughter as they navigate increasingly hostile circumstances. This is where most of his inspiration from Vineland emerges, since that was essentially a freewheeling satire of American life in the past, but where it was anchored by the story of a man going to any lengths to protect his daughter, regardless of the cost. This is precisely why we find so incredibly subversive – it refuses to just settle on one particular aspect of the story, but rather leaps around in various different ways, capturing the spirit of America through the characters of Bob and Willa, who prove to be the very definition of patriotism: they fight for causes with every ounce of their being, but are also not afraid to put themselves ahead of the organisation where required. This doesn’t mean the rest of the characters become insignificant – there’s an abundance of camaraderie that pulsates throughout this film, showing the importance of community and how only through working together can meaningful change emerge. It obviously doesn’t intend to mislead us into a false sense of security in which we are told that all that is needed to resolve some of the more troubling aspects of our daily lives is teamwork, but it does often comment critically on the role companionship (whether that formed by shared ideologies, familial bonds or merely a strong kinship) plays in the process of navigating a world driven crazy by political differences. Anderson is ultimately not interested in proposing any solution, making it quite clear that his perspective is not any more insightful or valuable than those who have come before him, but in telling this story through the eyes of someone whose only mission is to protect the person he cherishes the most, going to the ends of the earth to ensure her safety, gives One Battle After Another a quiet sentimentality that is genuinely unexpected for a film that markets itself as some overly complex, daring political thriller, when in reality its an endearing depiction of family and the unbreakable bonds that tie us together.

As time has gone on and he’s proven to be someone capable of introducing career-best performances for almost all of his collaborators, more actors have leaped at the opportunity to work with Anderson, who has become one of the great curators of strong, meaningful performances – and he is also drawing a lot of inspiration from Pynchon, since while the characters are mostly original creations, names such as “Ghetto Pat”, “Steven J. Lockjaw”, “Perfidia Beverly Hills” and “Virgil Throckmorton” are peculiar enough to make this film’s conceptual origins very clear, coupled with Anderson’s willingness to surrender to the silliness where required. In the case of One Battle After Another, we have the long-gestating collaboration between the director and Leonardo DiCaprio, a pairing that was supposed to occur towards the start of their respective careers, when DiCaprio was courted to bare it all in Boogie Nights, a film that he has expressed regret at turning down. A couple of rumoured attempts to collaborate again fell through, but now we are able to witness this dynamic duo in action. Considering he works so rarely, and a lot of his recent work has found him overshadowed by co-stars, it was not an unexpected surprise to discover that DiCaprio is delivering some of his best work in years. I would go out on a limb and say that this film contains his greatest on-screen work since The Wolf of Wall Street, which was a similarly expansive satire in which not only was his natural charm on display, but also his brilliant comedic skills, which manifests in various ways, ranging from the way he speaks and carries himself (meandering around in a tattered robe and sporting unkempt hair, making this quite similar to the titular part in The Big Lebowski, another film that covertly influences this one) to the impressive physicality he shows on occasion. DiCaprio is fantastic, but One Battle After Another is built from a very strong ensemble – Chase Infinit immediately establishes herself as an exciting new voice in contemporary cinema, while Teyana Taylor continues to transition into a fantastic actor. Benicio del Toro is as wonderful as ever, and Regina Hall proves that she can steal any scene in which she’s present, even with quite a subdued character. However, it’s Sean Penn who proves to be most impressive – he hasn’t been this good in over two decades, and he pulls out a truly extraordinary performance as a man who becomes a victim of the very people whose honour he defended. It’s hilarious, outrageous and frequently terrifying, anchoring this film and giving it a memorable villain, a perfect patsy to DiCaprio’s reluctant hero, tying this incredible ensemble together beautifully.

Over the years, Anderson has shown himself to be a remarkable craftsman, and while it can sometimes be frustrating to those who yearn to understand why someone like him hasn’t developed a particular style, this versatility has actually stood him in good stead, as it allows him to adapt to any story, pulling from numerous sources and making them his own. One Battle After Another plays like a classic 1970s conspiracy thriller, being an action-packed political odyssey set across several locations and featuring wall-to-wall intensity, the kind that not even access to radical new technology could ever replicate in such a way. In order to achieve not only the look of the film but also the underlying layers of narrative complexity, the director enlists some familiar collaborators on the other side of the camera. Anderson works closely with director of photography Michael Bauman to create the visual aesthetic, with every composition being meaningful and complex, while also never veering too close to the obvious imagery that we would initially expect. The colours and framing are simple but effective, and there are several moments that seem destined to be forged in the modern cinematic lexicon, solely because of the blend of aesthetic and conceptual detail that drives the film and makes it so incredibly compelling. Credit should also go to Andy Jurgensen, who has the unenviable task of taking this ambitious bundle of footage and carving it into a film that not only flows well, but tells a compelling story, being well-paced and challenging in ways that we rarely anticipate Jonny Greenwood returns for his sixth collaboration with Anderson, and while their previous work has been fantastic, this has perhaps his best score to date, his gentle but forceful compositions establishing the mood and setting the tone throughout the film. Considering One Battle After Another runs for nearly three hours, there needed to be a concerted effort to ensure that it flowed well – and it certainly does achieve this without any hesitation. Anderson takes time to make his films, ensuring that they’re approached with the right amount of care and affection – he may be a world-renowned director, but he’s primarily a film lover, and he certainly would not want to make a film that he himself would not want to see, which is why One Battle After Another proves to be so wholeheartedly entertaining, a loving and daring tribute to those pulpy thrillers on which he was raised, being both a wonderful homage and a unique interpretation of these works. Every moment feels epic and challenging, while still having a sense of confidence in its practical approach to bringing these ideas to life on screen.

Yet, every bit of praise that we throw towards One Battle After Another has to be filtered through the fact that nothing about this film would have been possible without a firm command of the tone. The performances are incredible, and the filmmaking astonishing, but everything that makes it so memorable comes through in how Anderson combines everything together. The film could have gone in a number of different directions, especially since there was no shortage of films that served as its inspiration, from which it could have also found pathways to telling this story effectively. Considering he has never been focused on one particular style of storytelling, the director defers to the text (both the original novel that served as its inspiration and the story that he built from this foundation), to allow it to evolve into something much more profound and organic. It’s an incredibly funny film – there are several moments of unhinged humour that exist somewhere between classic screwball comedies and Looney Tunes (both visually and in terms of how the humour is handled), which are often contrasted with some of the most outright devastating moments of vulnerability. One Battle After Another is a film built from carefully-curated contrasts, which is something that Anderson inherits from Jonathan Demme, who is not only one of his personal heroes, but someone whose influence lingers heavily over this film, which perhaps draws the most from his style, at least in terms of how it juggles bold, ambitious filmmaking with a more thoughtful, engaging form of storytelling. In all the places where we would expect over-the-top decadence, we find a film that is far more interested in examining the quieter, more subtle emotions that come with certain scenarios – its not focused on realism, but there is always value in a film that is willing to lay its intentions out clearly, constructing characters that at least seem partially authentic, even when they can be purposefully excessive from time to time. The heart of the film is much simpler and more engaging than we would expect, and Anderson continues to prove that, while he may be fascinated by crafting a cinematic spectacle worthy of all of his filmmaking heroes, his heart still firmly rests with the emotional content, the core of One Battle After Another being rooted in a much more sincere, meaningful place.

There are many ways to describe One Battle After Another, ranging from the fawning to the hyperbolic – but perhaps the one that most appropriately condenses everything that this film represents would be what I’d imagine an adaptation of a George Orwell novel would look like had it starred The Three Stooges, which is the highest compliment imaginable. It’s certainly difficult not to be hyperbolic about a film like this – how often do we see a filmmaker truly throw caution to the wind in a way that not only reminds us of their ingenuity, but entirely redefines who they are as an artist? Anderson has spent nearly thirty years defending his vision through simply producing exceptional, complex works, and how it is astonishing to see someone hailed as a wunderkind finally establishing himself as one of the great elder statesmen of the medium, which is said with such affection and sincerity, based on how everything he has done has seemingly led up to this film. It would be beyond surprising if he never made another film, but there’s a melancholy and complexity to One Battle After Another that we usually only find with directors approaching their swan songs. This just highlights his maturity and sense of awareness of certain themes, and his willingness to forego spectacle for something much deeper. It is far too early to tell, but there is an argument to be made that One Battle After Another has the potential to be viewed as Anderson’s masterpiece – it contains all the qualities we would expect, such as a strong story, brilliant performances, a good approach to the tone and some very impressive filmmaking that differentiates it from any existing film, while still allowing it to exist in dialogue with the works that inspired it over time. It’s a remarkable film, an audacious blend of concepts, images and emotions that flow together beautifully, capturing the every essence of human survival and our impulse to make the world a better place, despite the inevitability of evil still emerging (and as the conclusion to this film shows, malice will always return, but will eventually destroy itself after some time), which is perhaps the primary point that the director intended to make. Anderson uses One Battle After Another as a stark, meaningful reminder that there is always space for goodness in this world – it just needs to come about organically, and that it likely will soon be eclipsed by sinister forces eventually. Ultimately, this film shows that the battle may come to an end, but the war is far from over – and whether we take this as a literal statement or as a metaphor depends on the viewer and how we choose to engage with this exceptional, daring and utterly mesmerising masterpiece.