Culture
What to watch if you liked ‘One Battle After Another’
By: Gordon Briggs
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One Battle After Another is a gripping action drama about the hunt for political revolutionaries. Watching the movie, I was reminded of three other films that deal with revolution and its aftermath.
The first is The Battle of Algiers. Eagle-eyed viewers should recognize references to Gillo Pontecorvo’s classic peppered throughout One Battle After Another. Here, we get a raw and realistic portrayal of the Algerian struggle for independence from French rule. This is guerrilla warfare merged with pure filmmaking. Specifically, the movie employs a visual style of “fictional realism” that skillfully emulates newsreel and documentary footage of the ’50s. Its documentary-style filming adds a sense of authenticity to the story, drawing viewers into a street-level view of rebellion. Used by both governments, military leaders, and revolutionaries in real life, the film is not only entertaining, it’s essential. Rating: ★★★★
One Battle After Another is a film about Aftermath. The aftermath of revolution, the aftermath of war, and what happens when your past explodes into the present. In that respect, I want to recommend Who’ll Stop the Rain? Set in the aftermath of the Vietnam War, we follow the story of two friends, a jaded journalist, John (Michael Moriarty), and a Vietnam vet, Ray (Nick Nolte), who scheme to smuggle drugs back from Vietnam to America. Of course, the scheme goes south, and this former soldier has to return to a battlefield of a different kind. In addition to its strong performances from Nolte and Moriarty, it uses its crime story to explore what happened to the counterculture dreams of the 60s. It all culminates in a violent desert shoot out that plays out like if Rambo went to Woodstock. Rating: ★★★1/2.
What happens to the children of the revolution? One Battle After Another revolves around a fugitive’s turbulent relationship with his child. For that reason, the film is very reminiscent of a quiet but effective ‘80s Running on Empty. Here we follow the Popes, a family of fugitives who are perpetually on the run from federal authorities due to their anti-war activity during the ’60s. Things change when the musically talented son (the always effective River Phoenix) starts to fall in love and wants a normal life. Similar to P.T. Anderson’s film, the film shows us a series of safe houses, codewords, and a full-blown underground railroad for former radicals on the run. However, what sells the film is River Phoenix. The movie’s finest moments aren’t just between him and his parents, but the quieter moments when this shy young man actually begins to engage with the world through music. Rating: ★★★1/2