“Freedom is a funny thing, isn’t it? When you have it, you don’t appreciate it, and when you miss it, it’s gone.”-Bob Ferguson (Leonardo DiCaprio).

In a chaotic film centered on revolution and political upheaval around illegal immigration across the Mexican-U.S. border,  Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle after Another” commands a hefty 16 Academy Award nominations this year, most notably in the race for Best Picture.

Most know Anderson from his most popular film, the blockbuster and genre-defining “There Will Be Blood.” Since then, he has released several films, but with this one, Anderson returns to high-production films with “One Battle.” The film stars numerous generational actors of the 2000s and 2010s, featuring Leonardo DiCaprio as Bob Ferguson, a retired member of the French 75 revolutionary group. Alongside him are stars Sean Penn (Colonel Steven J. Lockjaw) and Benicio Del Toro (Sensai Sergio St. Carlos ).

The film has a half-hour prologue, where the characters’ status quo is flipped on its head, as they must escape from their actions as a part of the French 75. This consists of multiple characters adopting fake identities, including Ferguson taking his new identity and moving to Northern California with his daughter, Willa (Chase Infiniti).

Penn’s performance as Lockjaw, an unhinged U.S. Colonel, lands him as a nominee for Best Supporting Actor.

Lockjaw works for border enforcement, where he becomes obsessed with taking down the French 75 revolutionary group. And, as he attempts to track down Ferguson and his daughter, Willa.

After retiring from the French 75, Ferguson has turned to a life of paranoia and drugs, as he constantly fears that the government will find him. 

When Lockjaw eventually does begin tracking him down, Ferguson turns to his daughter’s karate sensei for aid. They use the underground railroad system built by revolutionists around the country. 

Ferguson’s journey through the underground railroad establishes a theme across the film: An individual inherits characteristics from their parents that they must choose to take on or not. This is evident through Willa, a product of Revolution. She must choose either to partake in this revolution or leave her parents legacy behind.

After the 16-year time jump from the prologue, Ferguson has almost completely abandoned the revolutionary life after the birth of Willa, choosing to go into hiding to take care of the one responsibility he has ever had. But when Lockjaw reenters his life and threatens to take Willa away from him, he is forced to come to terms with the chaotic life he once lived.

Willa goes on her own path in the film, separate of her parents. She grapples with the moral responsibilities of forging her own path, while also acknowledging the validity of the war her parents were fighting. She doesn’t represent the chaotic, violent, and sometimes flawed image that her parents often portrayed.

Willa represents a more united image, showing the progress that has been produced over years of influence from her father, but also through her own powerful ability to think independently of her roots, as her world is far different than the one her parents grew up in. 

About halfway through, the direction of the film feels almost as if it is playing it safe. While all the characters are moving in justified directions that align with their arcs up to this point, the remaining hour and 20 minutes revert to a predictable series of events that fail to create memorable moments that you would expect from a Best Picture heavy favorite.

While the ending does wrap up the film in a satisfying and conclusive way, it’s hard to find moments in the second half of the film that set it apart from other popular action-thrillers. 

Despite all this, the film is undeniably entertaining and serves a purpose in this ever-chaotic political world that we live in. While it isn’t perfect, it has several impressive performances that significantly elevate the film, most notably by Penn and DiCaprio, displaying the two characters’ opposite sides of the same political spectrum.

“One Battle after Another”

2 hours, 42 minutes

Rated R

Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson

Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Chase Infiniti and Benicio Del Toro