The highly anticipated first trailer for Paul Thomas Anderson's latest film, One Battle After Another, has finally arrived, offering a tantalising glimpse into the director's boldest and most ambitious project yet.
Just a day after Warner Bros announced the film's release had been pushed to late September - strategically aligning it with awards season buzz - the teaser reveals an intense and visually striking narrative. Leonardo DiCaprio leads the cast as a character deeply entrenched in gun combat, alongside co-star Teyana Taylor, whose commanding presence dominates the trailer's brief but action-packed scenes.
Though the 22-second teaser doesn't feature any dialogue from DiCaprio, it brims with action and intensity, leaving fans eager for the film's release. The teaser kicks off with a tense gunfight in an open field, where a pregnant Taylor wields a rifle, while DiCaprio, unfazed, casually sips a drink. The scene transitions to a baby in a crib as a voice asks, "What are you gonna do about this baby?" The pace escalates as the grown child is shown firing a rifle in a manner eerily reminiscent of Teyana's actions. A cryptic voiceover states, "Just when you think you got a handle on things," followed by glimpses of an older DiCaprio sporting a goatee and a fleeting but intense moment of Sean Penn dragging a screaming young woman through an alley. The teaser sets the tone for a gripping, high-stakes drama. The full trailer is set to drop next week.
With a production budget reportedly hovering around $140 million, One Battle After Another is Anderson's costliest film to date, according to The Guardian, signalling an epic scope that blends his meticulous character-driven storytelling with high-stakes drama. The film also reunites Anderson with several of his frequent collaborators, including Inherent Vice star Benicio Del Toro and Licorice Pizza alums Penn and Alana Haim.
Set during the aftermath of World War II, the film explores the psychological toll on soldiers returning home, and marks Anderson's second foray into adapting the work of novelist Thomas Pynchon. One Battle After Another draws inspiration from Pynchon's Vineland, a sprawling postmodern tale set in 1984 California, with flashbacks to the countercultural fervour of the 1960s. The narrative intertwines themes of memory, political resistance, and personal loss - hallmarks of Pynchon's labyrinthine storytelling. Anderson previously adapted Pynchon's Inherent Vice in 2014, earning critical acclaim for translating the author's enigmatic prose into a vivid cinematic experience.
One Battle After Another will hit theatres on September 27.
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