Brought to us by Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another has certainly created a lot of buzz online, with many reviews giving it a perfect 10/10! By the time I got around to seeing this, I had heard that this was one of the best movies of the year. That made me excited to see it, but I was already very interested due to the fantastic cast, which includes Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn (The Game, Licorice Pizza) , Benicio Del Toro (Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Avengers: Infinity War), and the incredible rising star that is Chase Infiniti.
Where to Watch One Battle After Another
One Battle After Another was released on September 26, 2025. You can stream the film from a digital platform.
The Movie Review
After what felt like a million ads and then just a handful of trailers, I relaxed into my seat, my large Cherry Pepsi Max in the cup holder and my bag of Cadbury Chocolate Orange Buttons just ready to be devoured and….. I was not impressed! That first hour or so kind of dragged if I am being brutally honest. The opening scene really took me by surprise with its tone, and I was not sure what the heck I was watching.
I was most excited to see Leonardo DiCaprio, as in the trailer, he looked awesome in this role of Ghetto Pat Calhoun, and he does not disappoint. Anyway, that first hour or so had me wondering why all these people were raving about this movie, but then something happens, and it kind of all clicks into place, and I was having a super fun time with the movie.
Plot Summary of One Battle After Another
No spoilers at all here, but the basics of the plot are that Pat used to be part of a group, whether you call them freedom fighters, revolutionaries, or even domestic terrorists is up to you. Many years after his last “mission,” Pat is now a deadbeat stoner, just floating his way through life, but like it often does, the past comes back to haunt him, and that past is Sean Penn’s Colonel Lockjaw!
Colonel Lockjaw is a really weird character, so weird, I probably need to see the movie again to have a proper opinion on him. When Colonel Lockjaw is intense, holy crap, is he intense and downright scary with it, but there are also moments that are just kind of goofy. The main aspect of the plot is that Colonel Lockjaw is hunting down Pat’s daughter, Charlene/Willa, who, along with Pat, has been on the run.
Despite being a paranoid wreck, Pat is going to get some help from the awesome Benicio Del Toro’s Sergio St Carlos in order to save his daughter. Anytime Sergio and Pat are together, it is pure gold; both actors absolutely nail it! Actually, the entire cast does a great job here, but as I said, I am still not entirely sure how I was supposed to take Sean Penn’s Colonel Lockjaw.
Runtime and Pacing of One Battle After Another
Coming in pretty damn close to the three-hour mark, this may sound crazy, but I actually feel that One Battle After Another could have been a little longer. That first hour felt rushed and slow at the same time, almost like some stuff was shortened or cut to try and keep this under three hours. I would be very interested to see if there is some kind of director’s cut of this movie when it eventually comes home.
Final Thoughts on One Battle After Another
While I would not say that this is a 10/10 movie for me or even in my top five of 2025, I still really enjoyed this movie by the time the credits rolled. It is crazy to think that if I had never seen this in the theatre and I was watching it via streaming, I think I may have turned it off during that first hour! If you do wait for this to hit streaming, stick with it; it truly picks up after the first act and becomes one hell of a wild thrill ride.
