One Battle After Another Breaks Leonardo DiCaprio's 23-Year Rotten Tomatoes Record

When the first trailer for "One Battle After Another" dropped earlier this year, no one knew what to expect. After all this, this is the first collaboration between Paul Thomas Anderson and Leonardo DiCaprio, and details about the film's plot were being kept tightly under wraps by Warner Bros. Before this, DiCaprio had teamed up yet again with Martin Scorsese on the award-winning "Killers of the Flower Moon," where he played the villainous Ernest Burkhart with incredible nuance. On the other hand, Anderson had previously wowed everyone with the funny, hypnotic "Licorice Pizza," which is just one of many bangers he's written and helmed ("There Will Be Blood" and "Phantom Thread" being just the tip of the PTA iceberg).

"One Battle After Another" is on the verge of opening in theaters at the time of writing, but the film's unanimously positive reviews have already given us an idea of what to expect. "Fiercely political, darkly funny, and brimming with exciting car chases and deafening shootouts, 'One Battle After Another' is unlike anything Paul Thomas Anderson has made before," as /Film's Chris Evangelista wrote in his own review of the movie, calling it the best film of the year so far. He's not the only one who feels that way, either, as the movie currently holds a remarkable 98% score on Rotten Tomatoes based on 158 reviews.

Turns out, that also makes "One Battle After Another" the highest-rated DiCaprio film on the website as well, which is quite impressive given his long and illustrious career. That record was previously held by the actor's collaboration with Steven Spielberg on 2002's "Catch Me if You Can" (which sports a cool 96%!), itself having been inspired by Frank Abagnale Jr.'s highly-disputed memoir. And while the aggregate score for "One Battle After Another" is subject to change, there's reason to believe that this particular RT record will stand the test of time.

Now, "One Battle After Another" is the highest-rated film starring DiCaprio, but it is worth noting that the documentary "We Are Guardians" — which the actor executive-produced — is currently at 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. However, since that isn't a project he starred in, it doesn't really count in this context. Other highly-rated DiCaprio films on the website include "Killers of the Flower Moon" (93%) and DiCaprio and Scorsese's Best Picture Oscar-winner "The Departed" (91%). 

So, what is "One Battle After Another" based on? It's loosely inspired by Thomas Pynchon's novel "Vineland," which is about revolutionaries who have lost the spirit of rebellion, only to find themselves suddenly jolted into action after an inciting incident. "When an enemy resurfaces after 16 years, a group of ex-revolutionaries reunite to rescue the daughter of one of their own," as the film's official logline puts it. And while that is not nearly enough to give us any idea about what's about to go down, the movie's rave pre-release reception suggests that this revolutionary adventure shall be glorious. Moreover, DiCaprio was joined by Sean Penn, Benicio del Toro, Regina Hall, and Teyana Taylor (plus Chase Infiniti in her debut role) in bringing Anderson's vision to life, so it's safe to say that we will be treated to more than one compelling performance in this 162-minute flick.

If the trailers are to be taken at face value, DiCaprio's Ben Ferguson (an aging activist of sorts) seems to be constantly embroiled in deeply absurd and hilarious shenanigans, where romantic love seems to be a point of conflict apart from standard political machinations. All in all, it seems that the DiCaprio and PTA combo works wonders, and I personally can't wait to experience this on the big screen as soon as possible. 

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