While a strong entry in Paul Thomas Anderson’s filmography, this is by no means one of his best, nor one of the best of the year or a masterpiece, as many people have been raving about soon after its release. This might feel like quite an indictment and the prelude of a tough criticism of the film, but that is not the case either. This just happens to be one of the hardships of being one of the (justifiably so) most acclaimed filmmakers currently, with one of the strongest active filmographies around. The filmmaker is going mostly against himself in the development of his craft, and we, the audience, may hold him more accountable due to the higher expectations. That said, this is still a really enjoyable film with some really good things that make its apparently long running time, closing in on three hours, go by considerably quickly.

Pat Calhoun (Leonardo DiCaprio) is the explosives expert of the guerrilla French 75. Now, years later, after having had a daughter with comrade Perfidia Beverly Hills (Teyana Taylor) and a heist went wrong, and under the name Bob Ferguson, he is a reclusive alcoholic and pothead surfing the challenges of parenting the rebellious Willa (Chase Infiniti) in the sanctuary city of Baktan Cross. Little did he know that his revolutionary past would one day blast through the door in the form of the perverted Colonel Steven Lockjaw (Sean Penn).

First things first, Sean Penn is perfect as the demented and uncomfortably funny Col. Lockjaw. The combination of his white supremacism but weakness for black females, and obsession with the French 75 and being accepted by his racist peers makes for a great villain. Some of the character’s trademarks, such as his haircut and his nasty mouth movements, are the cherry on top of this “sicko” that can’t keep his jaw locked (pun intended).

But he is actually not the only one who delivers a great performance. On the opposite spectrum, we have Benicio del Toro in his fantastic portrayal of “Sensei” Sergio St. Carlos. Everything that Lockjaw is, he isn’t. Everything that Lockjaw isn’t, he is. He is empathetic, kind, and incredibly self-sacrificed. Each one of his acts is in the service of others, either being Willa in her karate classes, the undocumented in Baktan Cross, or Bob in his unwanted but obliged quest. All of this is accompanied by a great sense of humour and a perfect whole-hearted and funny riffing with DiCaprio.

The story flows very distinctively through three different moods. It starts with the excitement and the thrills of seeing the young and fearless French 75 perform, with considerable success, his activities against the anti-immigration, capitalist, and imperialist policies of the US administration and military, which makes for a really entertaining introduction to most of our main characters. This evolves into the full-fledged comedy that is the bulk of the picture, with the already mentioned hilarious performances by Penn and del Toro. Unfortunately, the introduction of the white supremacist secret organisation Christmas Adventurers Club during this portion of the film feels flat, and while essential in the development of the events, their presence only feels interesting when Lockjaw is in the frame. Their active involvement in the well-built tense resolution of the film is one of the reasons why the movie ends on a rather weak note.

The one element that no one can dispute from the climax is its masterful camera work. The way in which the final car chase is filmed, playing with the ups-and-downs of the road and rearview mirror shots, is incredibly satisfying as well as effective in order to present the suspense of the sequence. This great camera work is also noticeable in DiCaprio’s escape from Baktan Cross. The fluidity with which the camera moves as he is accompanied by his esteemed Sensei to the house of the latter, how he jumps through the roofs, and how he ditches the hospital where he is being detained, is undisputably one of the key reasons why the pace of the movie is exhilarating, especially during the sequences in which we are following Bob, making it for the most part fly bye.

One last element worthy of mention is Jonny Greenwood’s score. While just like with PTA’s and this movie, not at the same level as what, in my opinion, is not only his best but the greatest score of the current decade in The Power of the Dog (2021), he clearly elevates himself as the best film composer around when it comes to using strings. Alongside the beautiful use of guitars, violins, and other string instruments, the insertion of piano and syncopated rhythms manages to enhance the feeling of anxiety in various key scenes.

The result is a really enjoyable film, albeit with its irregularities. With some standout performances, the movie especially captures your attention when we go along with bumbling Bob across rioting enclaves and desertic landscapes, in order to save both his daughter’s and his own life.