Leonardo DiCaprio embodies humanity in a 'world of extremes' in his latest film, 'One Battle After Another'.

In just nine films, Paul Thomas Anderson (55 years old) has become one of the essential directors of American cinema of the last three decades. Just a few of those who have cemented that title are Magnolia (1999), The Red Hood (2007), The Master (2012), and Phantom Thread (2017).

Now she returns to theaters with her tenth, titled Battle After Battle , and with it she has once again captivated critics, who have already installed her as one of the preliminary favorites in the next race for the Oscar , a statuette that Anderson has not yet received, although in other scenarios her films have obtained 28 nominations and have achieved awards.

“This film is made to achieve a communal experience,” said Leonardo DiCaprio (50 years old), who stars in the film in his first collaboration with Anderson, in a virtual meeting with the international press.

This film is made to achieve a community experience

"In a time when we're inundated with all kinds of content, some of it very good, this is one of those slightly original ideas that truly deserves people's support. It's a special film, one that I hope can be taken seriously ," the actor said.

And at a press conference in Mexico City on September 19, the actor added: “ It's a very entertaining film, with three very human characters who are trying to make ends meet in a world of extremes. They're a mirror of society and the world we live in.”

In the film, DiCaprio plays Bob Ferguson, an explosives expert who must suspend his retirement and return to arms when an enemy from his past, Colonel Lockjaw (played by Sean Penn), puts his daughter Willa's (Chase Infiniti) life at risk. Actors Benicio del Toro, Regina Hall, and Teyana Taylor also star in the film.

Regarding what drew him to the role and working under Anderson, the Oscar-winning actor said: “I think it was the humanity of the character, in a strange way. This is an incredibly flawed protagonist, who makes unexpected decisions, but his true heroism is the idea that he relentlessly keeps moving forward in order to protect his daughter. And I love the idea that he uses massive espionage skills to do that. The film was a blast to make; it was great to go on that journey and discover it as we went.”

Anderson, sitting next to DiCaprio, commented that he began writing this film at least two decades ago, but even during filming, the story underwent changes: “Before filming, I felt like we at least had enough to start with, but it was always evolving. We had our premise, our key plot points, our characters, but there always has to be room for discovery. Within reason, of course,” he explained.

Before filming, I felt like we at least had enough to start with, but it was always evolving. We had our premise, our key points, our characters, but there always has to be room for discovery.

Defined as an action thriller, this film marks the director's first time tackling a genre that involved elaborate chase scenes and action. This was a challenge Anderson had wanted to take on for some time, but he said that in the middle of filming, he made a surprising discovery:

“ I learned that shooting those scenes is a lot more boring than it looks when you watch the movie. It certainly doesn't give you the intense satisfaction of working side-by-side on a scene with actors—that's the most fun and most satisfying part. And sometimes doing these action sequences is like putting together Lego. You have the pieces and you know what you need, but sometimes you have to hand the set over to the stuntmen, the assistant director, and the producer. You have to trust them to do that job, to keep everyone safe and do it right. And really, you have to take a backseat. You have to sit back and let them do the work,” he said.

DiCaprio said he drew on several film references to create his character. The most obvious, starting with his look, was Jeff Bridges' "Dude" in the Coen brothers' film The Big Lebowski (1998).

“I'd be remiss and lying if I didn't say the Dude was an influence, but I'd also say another very strong one was Al Pacino in Dog Day Afternoon (1975), for his fanaticism about saving the person he loves. Bob is a terrible father, and suddenly he's thrown into this wild situation trying to save his daughter. And the script is simply beautifully written,” he concluded.

Battle After Battle premiered in Colombian theaters this Thursday. It's a loose adaptation inspired by Thomas Pynchon's novel Vineland , and is already shaping up, according to reviews from specialized websites, to be one of the films of the year.

Over the past three decades, Paul Thomas Anderson has built a career as one of the most prominent American screenwriters and directors of his generation. Despite his 11 nominations, he has not won an Oscar—one of the most coveted awards in the entertainment world—but his filmography has already earned him multiple nominations and awards.

His accolades include a BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay for Liquorice Pizza in 2022, and international film festival awards: Best Director at the Cannes Film Festival for Drunk in Love (award given in 2002), the Silver Lion for Best Director at the Venice Film Festival for The Master (in 2012), and the Silver and Golden Bears at the Berlin Film Festival for Bloody Oil (in 2008) and Magnolia (awarded in 2000), respectively.

El Mercurio (Chile) - GDA

(*) With additional information from EL TIEMPO and the Efe agency.