How to watch One Battle After Another in New Zealand
Leo’s on the lam in the latest lot from PTA.
The last time director Paul Thomas Anderson adapted a Thomas Pynchon novel, we were treated to the excellent Inherent Vice in 2014. Now Anderson is going back to the Pynchon well with this loose adaptation of the cult author’s 1990 book, Vineland.
How to watch One Battle After Another in New Zealand
One Battle After Another is screening in New Zealand cinemas from September 25, 2025.
What is One Battle After Another about?
Well, that’s a big ask: Pynchon’s novels are dense, labyrinthine, post-modern affairs. And given this is a self-described “loose” adaptation, we can’t even rely on what we know about the source book. But in the broadest strokes, our hero is former hippie radical Bod Ferguson, who finds himself on the run with his daughter, Willa, after his old nemesis, Colonel Lockjaw, tracks him down. But this isn’t just because of his criminal past: Lockjaw has a personal axe to grind, and it’s got something to do with Willa’s long-absent mother, Perfidia.
The cast of One Battle After Another
Leonardo DiCaprio is Bob Ferguson, a washed-up former radical; Sean Penn is Colonel Steven J. Lockjaw, Bob’s nemesis; Benicio del Toro is Sergio St. Carlos, Bob’s old ally and fellow revolutionary; Chase Infiniti is Willa Ferguson, Bob’s daughter; Regina Hall is Deandra; Teyana Taylor is Perfidia Beverly Hills, Willa’s mother; Alana Haim is Mae West; and Wood Harris is Laredo.
One Battle After Another trailer
Why we’re excited about One Battle After Another
Paul Thomas Anderson simply does not miss, and the cast is certainly nothing to sneeze at. But the real appeal here is that Anderson seems to get Pynchon completely, understanding that his dense books are also very, very funny. So we’re in for a good time.
