After a ruthless enemy resurfaces after sixteen years, a former revolutionary must come out of hiding to protect his daughter from a terrifying power coming after them.

Paul Thomas Anderson, already one of the most sweeping and daring filmmaker of the last few decades, is not only at his most ambitious in scope here. With One Battle After Another, the director challenges himself and his audiences into discomfort and nail-biting suspense, while transcending and recontextualizing his body of work. His direction is not only at its most cinematic and maximalist, but one of his most thematically profound.

Leonardo DiCaprio shines as a man who is task-oriented and protective yet fragile in his sense of self, portraying a character who’s funny in his messiness as he is loud and dangerous if a nervous wreck. Sean Penn is vicious and terrifying, giving his best performance in decades that could even get him another Oscar, and a villain that will go down as one of the all-time greats. The ensemble cast all deserve their flowers in their own right and offer the film lots of strength. Chase Infiniti is fantastic as DiCaprio’s daughter who gives much strength to every scene she’s in, and her scenes are riveting. Teyana Taylor leaves such an impression with a tremendous performance that gives weight and immense depth to the entire film, even when she’s not on screen. Benicio del Toro shines in a lovable and entertaining performance that steals the screen while letting other performances be “bigger” at the same time, and Regina Hall is also excellent.

There isn’t one element to Anderson’s approach that turns One Battle After Another into a masterpiece; it’s the whole the parts create. The gorgeous cinematography, Jonny Greenwood’s booming score, the swift pace and dark tone, and the magnificent sound design create the unpredictability and transfixing nature of the film you’re in. It’s the most shockingly and horrifically relevant film to today’s America I can remember, with imagery mirroring current power dynamics. The imagery is so visceral and mirrors real-life conflict in a way that screams like a warning, but one for a reality that’s already begun. In the world of One Battle After Another, each person has convinced themselves of an enemy or an other, and that violence is a justified means to an end that signifies a greater good. Nobody in this film becomes a true hero, there are simply people with worse beliefs and who have codes and are willing to commit deeds that are less acceptable to our moral standards. There are many moments that stand out in One Battle After Another that invoke suspense and epic magnitude, but that feeling is felt in every moment and frame. Even for a legendary director of PTA’s rapport, One Battle After Another is a breathtaking experience that’s among one of the best films of the last ten years, and one of Paul Thomas Anderson’s most visionary and unforgettable movies.