Top 10 Memorable Quotes from One Battle After Another

Writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson returns with the critically-acclaimed One Battle After Another, which is coming off a box office debut of $22.4 million. While the debut fell in line with projections, it’s still quite low for a film with a production budget between $130 million and $140 million, though there’s a shot it could still break even.

Warner Bros. is expected to keep it in theaters for the rest of the year, throughout awards season, so it could still crack the break-even point, reported at between $200 million and $300 million. Still, the film has been a critical hit, with PTA, Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Benicio del Toro and newcomer Chase Inifiniti already entering the awards season conversations.

PTA delivers a rare film set in present day, infusing themes about the current political spectrum with biting wit and a poignant story about a father trying to bring his daughter home. The film has as many hilarious lines as it has explosive thrills, delivering a well-rounded feature with a blend of action, drama, thrills and humor, all represented below.

“No fear. Just like Tom f—in’ Cruise.” – Benicio del Toro as Sensei Sergio St. Carlos

The good Sensei uses this brief pep talk to try and hype Bob Ferguson (Leonardo DiCaprio) up before he jumps from his moving car, in hilarious fashion. The line happens towards the end of the film, after Sensei Sergio used his vast network of connections to spring Bob Ferguson (Leonardo DiCaprio) from custody in a hospital after his arrest.

When Bob gets in the Sensei Carlos hands Bob some beers, which they both start drinking en route to the remote safe house Bob’s daughter Willa (Chase Infiniti) was taken to, when their family nemesis Steven J. Lockjaw (Sean Penn) started closing in. Unfortunately, Bob makes the mistake of taking a drink just as they’re passing a cop.

A hilarious chase ensues, as the Sensei tells Bob to jump out of the car and continue to the safe house on foot. After telling Bob to channel Tom Cruise, he executes a perfect dive and barrel roll, hiding behind a small ridge as the cop speeds by, allowing him to continue his mission.

“I’ve had a few… a few small beers.” – Benicio del Toro’s Sensei Sergio St. Carlos

Warner Bros.

This line could very well be a meme for the college crowd, or anyone who wants to make fun of someone else (or themselves) regarding how much they’ve had to drink. After telling Bob to jump out of his moving car, the Sensei leads the cops away for an undetermined amount of time, but he eventually pulls over.

The scene starts with the Sensei giving the cops a hilarious dance on the side of the road, after he was seen downing a few beers in the car while taking Bob to the safe house. When he’s asked by the officers if he’s had anything to drink, he utters this fantastic line with the perfect amount of buzzed charisma.

If Benicio del Toro lands his third Oscar nomination for playing the Sensei (which would be his first since the 2003 film 21 Grams), I wouldn’t be the slightest bit surprised if they play this short scene during the telecast. It’s a hilarious scene that shows how truly unserious Sensei is, even while face-to-face with the law.

“You know, I don’t remember that part. Let’s not nitpick over the passwords.” – Leonardo DiCaprio’s Bob Ferguson

There may not be a more relatable scene than this one in One Battle After Another. Sure, not everyone can relate to having a deranged Army Colonel come after you and your family, but who among us has not been able to remember a password or some trivial-yet-important detail after a long day?

16 years after going on the run and hiding out in Bactan Cross, Bob Ferguson gets a call from his revolutionary friends, warning him that Steven J. Lockjaw is coming after them. Bob is informed that his daughter Willa has been taken to the same safe house that has always been in the area, but Bob couldn’t remember the location.

Shortly thereafter his house is broken into by Lockjaw’s team, forcing Bob to use and underground tunnel and make it to a pay phone, where he tried to call them once more and get the safe house information. But he couldn’t remember the answer to a key question — “What time is it?” — and was not given the information he needed.

“I need a weapon, man! All you got is goddamn nunchuks!” – Leonardo DiCaprio’s Bob Ferguson

Leonardo DiCaprio should be an absolute lock to take home his eighth Oscar nomination for his portrayal of Bob Ferguson in One Battle After Another, and it wouldn’t be terribly surprising if he won his second Best Actor award as well. I wouldn’t be surprised if they play this hilarious scene during the telecast before handing out the statuette.

After he’s turned away by “Comrade Josh” on the phone, Bob makes his way to the dojo of Sensei Sergio St. Carlos, who has been training his daughter Willa in martial arts. The sensei is alone in the dojo, at his desk doing some paperwork, when Bob hurriedly pounds on his door, saying he needs help and rushing into the back.

He comes back into the main room and utters the humorous line, insisting he needs a gun before hitting the deck as a cop car speeds by the dojo. The Sensei ultimately takes him back his place — where a self-described “Latino Harriet Tubman situation” is happening – and where Bob finally learns the safe house location.

“I didn’t ask for this. That’s just how the cards were rolled out for me.” – Chase Infiniti’s Willa Ferguson

25-year-old actress Chase Infiniti went from her breakout role in last year’s Apple TV Plus series Presumed Innocent, to making her big-screen debut in One Battle After Another, more than holding her own against her on-screen dad Leonardo DiCaprio. There is already Oscar buzz swirling around the talented actress, and this hilarious scene shows why it’s warranted.

Her frustrations boil over in a scene at their home in Bactan Cross, where she utters the line and Bob humorously responds, “It’s not cards. You don’t roll cards. It’s dice,” which she does not find quite funny. There’s another line from this scene that showcases the divide between generations.

“It’s not that hard! They/them!” – Chase Infiniti’s Willa Ferguson

This line alone showcases the generation gulf between Bob Ferguson and his daughter Willa during their argument at home in Bactan Cross. Bob and Willa are having a chat before she goes to a school dance, when her friends show up in a red car that sets off Bob’s paranoid delusions.

One of Willa’s friends is non-binary, and Bob asks, “Now is that a he, or a she, or a they?” Willa angrily responds, “It’s not that hard! They/them!” Bob is clearly not used to having pronouns defined and his daughter Willa is tired of having to explain it, speaking volumes on generational divide in just a few short words.

“A semen demon.” – James Downey’s Sandy Irvine

One of the more bizarre sub-plots of One Battle After Another is Stephen J. Lockjaw’s recruitment into a racist secret society known as The Christmas Adventurers Club. The group’s leaders ultimately learn that he was in an interracial relationship and arrange to have him killed, but when he survives, he tries to explain that he was “raped in reverse.”

When an incredulous Virgil Thockmorton (Tony Goldwyn) asks why she would do that, Lockjaw claimed that she saw his “power” and called her a “sperm thief,” when another group leader, Sandy Irvine, adds, “Semen demon.” That simple line got the biggest laughs in both screenings I attended.

“I did not say that, but I did see the lifts in your shoes.” – Chase Infiniti’s Willa Ferguson

Towards the end of the film, Lockjaw realizes that Willa may be the result of his bizarre trysts with Perfidia Beverly Hills (Teyana Taylor), extracting Willa from the safe house to perform a DNA test to reveal the truth. Naturally, Willa isn’t too pleased about being kidnapped, and while waiting for the results, she takes a jab at Lockjaw.

“Why is your shirt so tight?” Willa asks, which causes Lockjaw to overcorrect and say that he’s not gay, as Willa responds, “I did not say that, but I did see the lifts in your shoes,” a line that got big laughs. Stephen J. Lockjaw is more than worthy of being taken down a peg or three, which Willa accomplishes.

“My name is Junglepussy. This is what power looks like.” – Shayna McHale’s Junglepussy

Yes, there is really a character named Junglepussy, and while her role is a smaller one, Shayna McHale’s character has one meaty scene to shine. Junglepussy is a member of the French 75 revolutionary group with Bob, Perfidia and others. Early on in the film, they show how the French 75 tries to incite this revolution through various acts.

When the French 75 members all flood into the bank, Junglepussy steps up on a table and points her gun at the employees, taking off her mask to show her face while most of the others remain masked. Her blunt display of power is interrupted when Perfidia kills a guard who keeps crawling towards her.

“Freedom is a funny thing, isn’t it? When you have it, you don’t appreciate it, and when you miss it, it’s gone.” – Leonardo DiCaprio’s Bob Ferguson

This quote alone from Bob Ferguson could almost sum up One Battle After Another in a nutshell. The film showcases how different the manifestations of “freedom” really are for each character.

For Bob and Perfidia and the French 75, it’s the freedom to disrupt the system. For Lockjaw it’s the freedom to engage in an interracial tryst while still engaging in racist practices. For Willa, its just the ability to be a normal teen. Each of them pay the price in various ways for pursuing these freedoms.

Release Date

September 26, 2025

Runtime

162 minutes

Producers

Adam Somner