See Unsee summary
Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another arrives in theaters September 26, his most expensive film yet at over $130 million. Loosely drawn from Thomas Pynchon’s Vineland, the action thriller reunites ex-revolutionaries to save a comrade’s daughter, boasting Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Benicio del Toro, and rapturous early reviews already.
Release, story, and ensemble
Anderson’s new film puts a fractured group of former revolutionaries back in the same room for a rescue mission that turns personal fast. The setup has the heat of a man-on-a-mission classic filtered through Anderson’s melancholy and sly humor.
The cast is thunderous on paper: Oscar winners Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, and Benicio del Toro, joined by Regina Hall, Teyana Taylor, and newcomer Chase Infiniti. The Los Angeles premiere on September 8 confirmed what the whispers suggested: this one has an audience already leaning forward.
I love when Anderson builds families out of misfits. If he threads the camaraderie and the bruises of the past into the action, the emotional hit could be as sharp as the spectacle. To read Charlize Theron and Taron Egerton face off in 2026’s Apex trailer
Key facts at a glance
- Release date: September 26
- Source material: loosely adapted from Thomas Pynchon’s Vineland (1990)
- Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Benicio del Toro, Regina Hall, Teyana Taylor, Chase Infiniti
- Premiere: Los Angeles, September 8
- Budget: over $130 million, Anderson’s most expensive
- Studio posture: Warner Bros. preparing an awards campaign
Production scale and studio intent
With a budget north of $130 million, this is the biggest canvas Anderson has ever taken on. Early-year worries about Warner Bros. box office consistency have softened after several recent openings above $40 million, and the studio is leaning in. Executives Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy are already mapping an awards push.
Seeing Anderson operate at this scale is thrilling. He has the patience for character and the nerve for set pieces, a blend that blockbuster filmmaking often forgets.
Critical reception so far
The early numbers are eye-catching. One Battle After Another sits at 97 percent on Rotten Tomatoes from 66 reviews, a 96 score on Metacritic, and a 4.3 out of 5 on Letterboxd. When critics and crowds line up this early, there is usually something in the air beyond hype.
What critics are responding to
Richard Lawson at The Hollywood Reporter called it a bracingly timely film, praising its courage to stare down the present. He wrote that it is the rare American film to be clear and insistent in the target of its anger. That clarity is not common, and it can be electrifying on screen.
At The Guardian, Peter Bradshaw gave five stars, describing a counter-culture caper that is serious and unserious, exciting and baffling. He connected the film’s themes to real-world fractures, including family separations at the US-Mexico border, which hints at a story that lifts off from history without losing sight of it. To read Ranking Shyamalan’s Hits: Which Film Defines His Legacy?
Empire’s Alex Godfrey also went five stars, calling it a stone-cold, instant classic and applauding Anderson’s taut direction and thrilling set pieces. That word taut makes me hopeful. Anderson’s best sequences feel like coiled springs.
For Vulture, Alison Willmore called it top-tier Paul Thomas Anderson, even likening the action to Terminator 2. She singled out a chase that rivals Cameron’s iconic benchmark. As someone who grew up rewatching T2, that comparison sets my pulse going.
Caryn James at the BBC highlighted the film’s epic feel and the seamless blend of drama and comedy, praising Anderson’s unmatched clarity with sprawling narratives. The balance between scale and readability is a rare gift.
IGN’s Michael Calabro went all in, calling the film a masterpiece and singling out Teyana Taylor’s turn as Perfidia Beverly Hills. He emphasized the shock of seeing a politically incisive, emotionally resonant, visually thrilling original film executed at this size. That word original matters, especially right now.
Performances to watch
The trio of DiCaprio, Penn, and del Toro suggests different temperatures of intensity colliding, which is catnip for a character guy like Anderson. Add Regina Hall’s sharpness and Teyana Taylor’s energy, and you can feel the ensemble leaning into conflict and camaraderie.
The early spotlight on Teyana Taylor as Perfidia Beverly Hills is exciting. Anderson has a habit of pulling career-best work from actors you think you already know. I am curious about Chase Infiniti too. A fresh face in a moral storm can anchor the audience’s point of view.
Awards season outlook
Warner Bros. is positioning the film as both a 2025 cinematic event and an awards contender. The elements line up: a director at full command, a starry cast, a topical pulse, and craft that critics are already calling thrilling. If that T2-level chase delivers, the technical branches will pay attention.
