One Battle After Another Review: Leonardo DiCaprio Lights Political Fire

There is a school of thought that views the whole of human existence, from the cave dwellers who discovered fire to the skyscraper and smartphone-designers of today, as an expansive cycle of guys trying to impress gals. There’s plenty of reason to be dubious about this broad generalization, not least of all because it removes the contributions of women from the equation. Yet it would seem Paul Thomas Anderson , one of the most compelling and idiosyncratic filmmakers of his generation, recognizes a truth in its margins—at least insofar as some blokes are concerned.

One Battle After Another , PTA’s new audacious epic, even begins as a sly comedy rooted in this neolithic logic. For here is the story of two dudes that inhabit opposite poles on the modern American political spectrum, and th