Hollywood Report: Relentless, Risky, Bold, Honest and Uncomfortably Timely - IMRAN®

Hollywood Report: Relentless, Risky, Bold, Honest and Uncomfortably Timely - IMRAN® 

“One Battle After Another” lives up to its name—a relentless cascade of conflict, both physical and ideological. While I respect the high praise it’s receiving, I landed at a solid 7.5 out of 10—not because it lacks merit, but because it demands that kind of brutal honesty.

The film is bold. In a landscape of sanitized storytelling, it dares to confront uncomfortable truths. Credit to the writer, producer, and investors for backing a vision this unflinching. The cast delivers across the board: Leonardo DiCaprio proves once again that he can masterfully balance drama, comedy, politics, and violence—all within a single role. Benicio Del Toro remains a stellar performer, bringing quiet intensity and layered nuance. And Sean Penn? Surprisingly impressive in yet another great performance —his presence adds weight without tipping into melodrama.

The writing holds surprising depth, and the cinematography is often stunning, though some sequences linger longer than they should, slowing the pace. The early segments—set in a historical backdrop from years ago—carry a tone that occasionally veers into dark comedy. At times, it feels like an awkward apology for illegal immigration politics, the backlash to which itself created the environment for opponents to take a turn to normalize fascism and embrace tyranny for the USA. But that tonality gives way to something far more serious.

The film’s real power lies in its depiction of how fragile our civil and physical liberties have become even here in America. It doesn’t just warn—it shows where we already are. 

In a world where Christian-nationalism desires and authoritarian acts are increasingly normalized, the movie reminds us how easily any one of us could be coerced, disappeared, or crushed by the machinery of state power under the current circumstances.

I wanted to rate the movie higher. But 7.5 felt right. Still, I’d recommend One Battle After Another over most of the risk-averse fare coming out of Hollywood. It’s not perfect—but it’s brave, and disturbingly relevant.

What do you think? 

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