PRAISE: Director Paul Thomas Anderson returns to the big screen with a movie about a nemesis resurfacing after 16 years, and a band of ex-revolutionaries reunite to rescue the daughter of one of their own. Anderson sharply includes reflections of current events that the world has been a witness to including migrants, border control, separatism racism and ex pats. Its kind of crazy that the movie has a thread so similar to what happened in the news (AN ABSOLUTELY COINCIDENTAL MOMENT} in its first weekend of release. But that's life isn't and I think the movie really captures the truth about relationships, revolutions and being a parent. Leonardo DiCaprio as Bob Ferguson is at that age in which he is weathered enough to take on a role like this as a father, whos a bit clueless about how some things currently are in the world but his love for his daughter rings true. As his daughter Willa Ferguson Chase Infinit turns in a focused and believable performance as a young woman discovering more about her parents and her scenes with Sean Penn as Col. Steven J. Lockjaw crackle with all the right amounts of intensity and suspense. Penn portrays Lockjaw to a T. Even with all the superiority Lockjaw thinks he has and thinks should possess he's full of eccentrics, creepiness and contradictions.Teyana Taylor as Perfidia Beverly Hills is channeling Pam Grier and Grace Jones in her performance she demands attention from the characters in the film and from the audience and definitely got it from me. I think Benicio Del Toro as Sensei Sergio and Regina Hall as DeAndre were the most cool, calm and collected of the characters for the most part. Director Anderson does such a great job with the pacing. Blending in the frustrations and panic of the characters. He's even able to get some humor out of moments that should be anything but funny. The movie includes on of the best middle of nowhere, winding road action sequences I've ever seen on the big screen. So many moments ring true about responsibility, abandonment and loyalty and how it definitely wavers at times even with people we love and trust.
PROBLEMS: I definitely couldn't get on board with something that occurs, I even let out a Oh Come On Now once a scene tied to it started. A couple of predictable paths couldn't be ignored.
Scale of 1 to 10 an 8½
