It’s hard to imagine me writing a 500 word review that can to scope and skill of this movie. I am going to start with what stood out the most- Sean Penn.

His transformation is so complete it took me a while into the movie to remember who the actor was. Truly an vile, needy, repellent performance. I couldn’t get enough. From the walk, to the voice and sneer, everything was precise and immaculate. It was captivating to watch.

I thought the score was fascinating. Single note staccato piano themes really helped build up the tension as you waited for the explosion of action. It was simple and very effective. The camera work was incredible. There was a car chase with some hills at the end, and the way the camera was placed really made you feel like you were in the car, and experiencing every sign of hope and distress and the people in the car.

The story was grand in scope, it covered a life time or two of revolution. And yet as I was walking out I found myself thinking about the powerful family themes. The relationship between DiCaprio’s character Bob and Chase Infiniti’s Willa was incredibly moving, even though they don’t share the screen for that long.

This movie was unexpectedly funny as well. From DiCaprio’s tangle with a tree to his effort to figure out what time it was, the theater audience (and myself) had some real laughs. Benicio Del Toro’s sensei was also a delight. I would watch an entire buddy comedy movie with those two as the center.

One Battle After Another felt timeless as well as incredibly present in the events of the last few years. I was gripped thoroughly during and after. I have a feeling we will be talking about this movie for a long time.

Score: 27/30

Rank: 3rd out of 54

Let me know what you thought in the comments!