Those of us old enough to have lived through the turbulent latter decades of the 20th century will recall the KKK, the Weather Underground, the Symbionese Liberation Army and other home-grown terrorist organizations. But what about The French 75?
The French 75 is a far-left anti-establishment paramilitary group fighting against oppression in 1960s America. Its members and their activites as young revolutionaries are the basis for the movie “One Battle After Another,” based on Thomas Pynchon’s 1990 novel “Vineland.” Among its leaders are Perfidia Beverly Hills (Teyana Taylor) and Bob Ferguson (Leonardo DiCaprio). She is a hard-charging, highly-sexual, foul-mouthed fanatic. He is her lover and an expert on explosives and pyrotechnics.
The film opens with an assault on an immigrant detention facility on the Mexican US border. The French 75 is planning an assault that will free hundreds of detainees. As the guards are being rounded up, Perfidia comes upon the center commander, Colonel Steven Lockjaw (Sean Penn). She disarms him, sexually humiliates him, and leaves him and his men imprisoned and the attackers and the immigrants flee. It is clear, however, that some sort of sexual bond has formed, at least on the part of Colonel Lockjaw, who is portrayed as an extremely uptight, explosively dangerous man with serious psychological issues.
Violent acts by The French 75 escalate to bombings and, while setting up explosives in a building, Perfidia is trapped by Lockjaw, who has been stalking her. The upshot is a sexually-violent encounter in a motel.
Perfidia and Ferguson have a daughter, Willa, but her maternal instincts are submerged in her increasingly violent behavior, which culminates in the killing of a bank guard and, ultimately, her capture. In a striking scene, she is paraded in a wheelchair through a hospital corridor with dozens of police yelling, jeering, and taking selfies with her as she tries to hide her face. She faces decades in prison, but Lockjaw convinces her to turn on her co-revolutionaries in return for amnesty. A cleanup by assassination and arrest follows, with Ferguson and his baby escaping capture.
The above takes place in the first 40 minutes of the film. Writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson goes all out in those minutes to establish his characters, the brutal society in which they operate (one which mirrors our own today) and the challenges they face.
In the remaining two hours, he explores the aftermath, 16 years later. Bob and Willa are living in Baktan Cross, a sanctuary city in California. Bob has become a burned out druggie, while Willa is a self-composed 16 year old seeking her place in their sheltered world. However, the past, in the form of Colonel Lockjaw and his border militia are closing in.
Anderson has made this film, as did Pynchon in the novel before him, a statement about a militarized society that demands conformity from its citizens, and when they resist, works in many ways to suppress, even brutally, that resistance. Lockjaw represents this in its essence, fitted out to mimic ICE leader Gregory Bovino in appearance and attitude, if not in psychological pathology. On the other hand, we have the “freedom fighters” who are themselves brutal extremists – effectively undercutting the social revolution they hope to achieve.
Anderson also shows us a middle ground in the form of Sergio (Benicio del Toro), who ostensibly runs a karate studio in Baktan Cross, but in fact is heavily involved in assisting immigrants to enter the US and evade the authorities, including Lockjaw’s thugs. His clever evasion of the authorities undermines their enforcement efforts while eschewing violence as much as possible. Anderson makes him an island of calm in a sea of conflicting chaos.
Anderson has evoked incredible performances from all his main characters, with DiCaprio’s being the least of them. Penn’s is the most terrifying in its barely restrained ferocity, with del Toro second with his almost comic serenity.
This is a great film with superb breadth of scope. However, the extreme violence and language will be off putting to some.
Notes: The picture has been Oscar-nominated in 13 categories, including best picture, best direction, and acting nominations for DiCaprio, Taylor, Penn and del Toro.
Despite its acclaim, the film is still $100 million away from breaking even.
Runtime: Two hours, 42 minutes
Availability: In select theaters, plus many streaming and purchase choices.
. . .
Join us on Facebook at
http://www.facebook.com/itsjustmovies!