Why watch?

Paul Thomas Anderson does something completely different here — a crime thriller with comedy timing, where Leonardo DiCaprio and Sean Penn play off each other like con artists who never quite know who's conning whom. It's two hours and 40 minutes but Anderson cuts it like a series of short battles instead of one big act, so each scene ends and a new game starts. Benicio del Toro shows up when you think you've figured it out and messes everything up again.

Who is it for?

Best for a Friday night when you want something completely wild and unpredictable — this film does exactly what it wants without apologies. If you got into movies like Inherent Vice or The Wolf of Wall Street, you know how Paul Thomas Anderson blends thriller elements with dark comedy and characters who are genuinely unhinged. There's violence and strong language, so not for kids.

Similar titles

If you dug the twisted mix of dark comedy, crime drama, and controlled chaos that Paul Thomas Anderson pulled off in One Battle After Another, check out Inherent Vice — it's got that same dense tangle of characters, absurd situations, and the feeling that the more you learn, the less anything makes sense. Killing Zoe and Kalifornia are other crime thrillers with that broken sense of humor where violence and tragedy are laced with something almost funny.

  • Inherent ViceInherent Vice (2014)
  • Killing ZoeKilling Zoe (1993)
  • KaliforniaKalifornia (1993)
  • The Long GoodbyeThe Long Goodbye (1973)
  • Kiss Kiss Bang BangKiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)
  • In Good CompanyIn Good Company (2004)
  • Brick SlavesBrick Slaves (2015)
  • The GriftersThe Grifters (1990)
Plakat — One Battle After Another

One Battle After Another

2025 · 2h 42min7.4R
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⚠ Availability may change. Data provided by JustWatch via TMDB.

Classic overview

Washed-up revolutionary Bob exists in a state of stoned paranoia, surviving off-grid with his spirited, self-reliant daughter, Willa. When his evil nemesis resurfaces after 16 years and she goes missing, the former radical scrambles to find her, father and daughter both battling the consequences of his past.

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Sixteen years after a prison heist, Bob Ferguson is hiding in the desert, hunted by Colonel Steven Lockjaw, a relentless adversary who won't let the past die. When Ferguson's daughter Willa gets kidnapped, he's forced out of isolation and has to rally his old revolutionary crew—along with his mentor Sensei Sergio—for one more impossible mission. Paul Thomas Anderson directs this wild blend of crime thriller and pitch-black comedy, with Leonardo DiCaprio playing a weary fugitive caught between survival and redemption. The film takes place in a genuinely grotesque world where nothing goes according to plan and every ally comes with baggage. If you dug Heat or The Gentlemen, this twisted tale of loyalty and vengeance across a desert wasteland will grab you.

Why watch?

Paul Thomas Anderson does something completely different here — a crime thriller with comedy timing, where Leonardo DiCaprio and Sean Penn play off each other like con artists who…

Who is it for?

Best for a Friday night when you want something completely wild and unpredictable — this film does exactly what it wants without apologies. If you got into movies like Inherent Vic…

Similar titles

If you dug the twisted mix of dark comedy, crime drama, and controlled chaos that Paul Thomas Anderson pulled off in One Battle After Another, check out Inherent Vice — it's got th…

Cast

Creators

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