Steven Spielberg Called This Leonardo DiCaprio Thriller 'Incredible'

Leonardo DiCaprio is one of the most respected actors working today. From his massive breakthrough role in James Cameron's epic blockbuster "Titanic" to his eventual (and long-awaited) Oscar win for his work in the revenge thriller "The Revenant," he's been operating at the highest acting level for three decades. That continues even now in 2025 as he's starring in Paul Thomas Anderson's big-budget political epic "One Battle After Another." And while it hasn't hit theaters yet, it's already received high praise from one of the greatest directors of all time.

No one less than Steven Spielberg himself held a Q&A with Anderson recently at the DGA theater in Los Angeles following a screening of "One Battle After Another," which sees DiCaprio playing a former revolutionary named Bob. As reported by The Film Stage, Spielberg had some very kind words for the film, calling it things like "insane," "relevant," and otherwise "incredible." Here's what he had to say about it:

"What an insane movie, oh my God. There is more action in the first hour of this than every other film you've ever directed put together. Everything, it is really incredible. This is such a concoction of things that are so bizarre and at the same time so relevant, that I think have become increasingly more relevant than perhaps even when you finished the screenplay and assembled your cast and crew and began production."

Loosely based on the novel "Vineland" by Thomas Pynchon, the movie finds the now washed-up Bob existing in a state of stoned paranoia and living off the grid with his daughter, Willa (Chase Infiniti). However, when his nemesis (Sean Penn) resurfaces after 16 years and Willa goes missing, Bob is left with little choice but to scramble and try to find her. Speaking at the Q&A, Anderson described what it was like working with DiCaprio on the film, explaining how he would bring ideas to the table:

"Leo has a great thing. He will sell you on something by saying, 'This is a terrible idea, and you're gonna hate it.' And then he proceeds to tell you a really fantastic idea. But he loves to set it up by saying, 'I think it's a terrible idea.'"

Spielberg and Anderson both have experience working with DiCaprio now, with Spielberg having directed him in "Catch Me If You Can," a film based on the life of conman Frank Abagnale Jr. Given that Spielberg is one of the most accomplished directors in the history of cinema, it's no small thing for him to heap praise on "One Battle After Another" like this. To that end, Spielberg went on to compare Anderson's latest movie to a stone-cold classic from another legendary director:

"I have not seen a movie that is so tonally a relative to Stanley Kubrick's 'Dr. Strangelove.' This brings a kind of absurdist comedy, taken very seriously, because it's so much a reflection of what's happening today, every day, throughout this country. But it takes it to a point where you want to laugh, because if you don't laugh, you're going to start screaming, 'This is too real.' And so you got that outlet."

"I nervously laugh all the way through 'Dr. Strangelove,' and, more than nervously, I had a great time laughing all the way through this. But it's interesting where you laugh here, where you allow us to laugh, and then when you shut it down," Spielberg added.

"Dr. Strangelove" is widely considered to be one of Kubrick's best movies, with Kubrick himself being considered one of the best directors of his era, if not all of film history. So again, having Spielberg compare your work to something like that is impressive. It certainly means a whole lot more than just having some rando on social media say your movie is good.

For Warner Bros., such praise is very much welcome. "One Battle After Another" cost a whopping $130 million or more to make, so the studio needs this to perform at the box office. Luckily, the studio has been on a record-breaking hot streak at the box office as of late, so there's reason to believe this fiery, political epic can find the audience it needs. Having Spielberg's glowing endorsement will only help its cause.

"One Battle After Another" hits theaters on September 26, 2025.