LOS ANGELES, Sept. 17 (UPI) -- One Battle After Another, in theaters Sept. 26, takes writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson's ensemble leanings in bold, new directions. With way more action and absurdity than Boogie Nights, Magnolia or even Inherent Vice, One Battle takes an epic approach to both.
Leonardo DiCaprio and Teyana Taylor star as Pat and Perfidia, a couple who are activists for French 57, a group whose causes includes staging breakouts from immigration detention centers and bombing anti-abortion politicians. Shortly after they have a baby, Perfidia is caught by police after a botched bank robbery.
Pat takes their daughter into hiding, where they assume the identities of Bob and Willa Ferguson (Chase Infiniti). 16 years later, Captain Steven Lockjaw (Sean Penn), the border guard who negotiated Perfidia's surrender, returns looking for them.
Anderson's first bona fide action movie defies any 1:1 comparison to other films. The closest way to describe it would be Taken in the style of Uncut Gems.
French 57 gets wind that Bob and Willa have been found out while Willa is at a high school dance. Deandra (Regina Hall) rendezvous with Willa and takes her to safety, but Bob runs into some issues with the group's protocol after 16 years away.
