Leonardo DiCaprio in One Battle After Another (2025)

Vitals

Leonardo DiCaprio as “Ghetto Pat” Calhoun, aka Bob Ferguson, burned-out ex-revolutionary

California, Spring 2024

Film: One Battle After Another
Release Date: September 26, 2025
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Costume Designer: Colleen Atwood

WARNING! Spoilers ahead!

Background

One Battle After Another has been a 2025 awards season favorite, collecting more than a few small accolades from organizations like the BAFTAs, Critics’ Choice, Golden Globes, heading into the Academy Awards this weekend with 13 nominations including Best Picture. While it was the most expensive production of Paul Thomas Anderson’s ten released features to date, it has also quickly become the director’s highest-grossing with a box office of $209 million and counting.

In his seventh Oscar-nominated performance, Leonardo DiCaprio stars as “Ghetto Pat” Calhoun, a former revolutionary in an underground militant group known as the French 75, whose expertise in explosives resulted in his reputation as the “Rocket Man”. Amidst their explosive activities, Pat and his French 75 comrade Perfidia Beverly Hills (Teyana Taylor) raise a daughter named Charlene, only for Pat forced to go on the run with Charlene after Perfidia’s perfidy sends the surviving revolutionaries sprawling.

“Sixteen years later, the world had changed very little,” Perfidia’s narration explains as Steely Dan’s “Dirty Work” reintroduces us to Charlene and Pat—now rechristened Willa and Bob Ferguson, living off the grid in the fictional sanctuary city of Baktan Cross, California… until their old nemesis—paramilitary federal agent Steven J. Lockjaw (Sean Penn)—comes hunting for them, as the possibility that he may be Willa’s actual father threatens his entry into a secret society of white nationalists.

Bob is caught unaware in the middle of a spring afternoon spent getting high and watching The Battle of Algiers, with only minutes to spare until Lockjaw’s goons knock down his door. Informed that Willa is temporarily safe with his ex-comrade Deandra (Regina Hall), Bob seeks out the help—and few small beers—of her sensei, Sergio St. Carlos (Benicio del Toro), himself no stranger to underground activity at the helm of “a Latino Harriet Tubman situation”.

PTA had wanted to bring Thomas Pynchon’s 1990 novel Vineland to the screen for decades. Having already stretched his Pynchonian cinematic muscle with his 2014 adaptation of Inherent Vice, Anderson ultimately maintained the central themes and character dynamics while layering in his own original cast and narrative. The action centers around a surreal revision of California’s Central Valley, filmed across the state from Humboldt County in the north to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park and Otay Mesa in the south, in addition to El Paso, Texas.

Collaborating with PTA for a third consecutive time, cinematographer Michael Bauman shot One Battle After Another on location using 35mm film in VistaVision cameras—joining productions like Brady Corbet’s 2024 epic The Brutalist to revive this vivid 1950s-era format, but with a kineticism that grounded it in gritty early ’70s action cinema.

Whether or not One Battle After Another wins the top prize this weekend, it already stands as one of the defining films of its moment: translating the novel’s themes for modern relevancy while remaining eminently rewatchable. (Case in point: I’ve already watched it three times since its theatrical debut.)

What’d He Wear?

Even in his revolutionary prime, Ghetto Pat’s wardrobe leaned toward the broken-in comfort of hoodies, work shirts, and layered tees. After sixteen years have transformed the spirited revolutionary into stoner dad Bob Ferguson, the casualness has curdled into full burnout as he spends the entire sequence in an increasingly distressed bathrobe.

Unlike the serious operative Deandra in her field jacket or the milsurp cosplay of Che Guevara types and their imitators, Bob’s clothing is never tactical or aspirational… unless your aspirations are to get high and watch old movies. (Which, okay, I can get on board with.)

Costume designer Colleen Atwood shared with Jazz Tangcay for Variety that it was either PTA or Leonardo DiCaprio “who said, ‘what if he’s just in his robe?'” rather than the sweatshirt originally intended for his character. Atwood sourced a vintage-style shadow-plaid fabric in a cotton-and-wool blend that would be used for what she has described in interviews as “an old, cheap dad robe” and “a JCPenney-type robe.” From this swath of fabric, Atwood and her team crafted and aged multiples for DiCaprio to wear on screen meaning that, yes, they made one bathrobe after another.

This softly napped fabric features a soft plaid pattern, composed of intersecting bands of red and black over a subdued stone-gray base for a mottled, irregular check where the blocks softly transition into each other. Unlike some robes with contrasting lapels, pockets, or trim, the fabric is continuous on every piece of the robe, even matching the plaid pattern onto the patch-style breast and hip pockets. Bob’s knee-length bathrobe also has a shawl collar, a waist sash that hangs loose as he wears the robe open, and gauntlet-style “turnback” cuffs that add a touch of sophistication to an otherwise louche look.

Revolutionary Robe.

Unlike the questionably tight shirts favored by nemesis Lockjaw, Bob layers roomy T-shirts under his robe. His base layer is a brown tee—likely short-sleeved, though we never see any more of it on screen aside from the crew-neck that appears over the top of his over-shirt. The latter is a warm gray waffle-knit thermal long-sleeved T-shirt, also with a round crew-neck and an unfinished hem that extends down in the front and back.

Bob doesn’t wear lounge pants like track pants or pajama bottoms, though his loose dark-indigo chinos do have an elastic waistband. They are otherwise styled like slacks, with on-seam side pockets, button-through pockets, and plain-hemmed bottoms with a full break that gather over the tops of his shoes.

Whether it’s still instinct from his revolutionary era or mere laziness from having not changed his shoes from the day before, Bob luckily wears appropriate shoes for staying on the move when he gets that fateful call in his living room. According to Atwood’s Variety interview, the decision was informed by DiCaprio himself after “somebody told him about these sneakers that are popular with runners, and so we dialed into that brand.”

To accommodate this and the actor’s preference for a wider toe box, Bob wears a pair of increasingly dirty Altra Lone Peak trail-running shoes, characterized by roomier toe space and a minimal heel-to-toe drop. Bob’s Lone Peak trainers have all-black uppers made from 100% recycled ripstop mesh, cushioned by Altra EGO™ midsole foam and secured to bright-orange MaxTrac™ outsoles with black footprint-style contrasts. Bob wears them with black socks.

Shop the shoes:

Bob either wore older Altra Lone Peaks or a similar model with the uppers more blackened for production, but the current Lone Peak 9 (released in 2025) still offers a color scheme echoing the black-and-orange seen in One Battle After Another:

Altra Lone Peak 9 in black/red (Altra, $145)

Price and availability current as of Mar. 10, 2026.

Understandably paranoid after escaping from Lockjaw’s Border Tactical Response agents at his home, Bob attempts a disguise by pulling on a dark-gray woolen ribbed-knit beanie from his backpack and grabbing a set of oversized sunglasses from a grocery store display. Rather than vintage aviators or classic wayfarers, these are the cheap, chunky plastic eye-shields often recommended after cataract surgery… maintaining Bob’s continued aversion to aspirational style, even with something as easily cool as sunglasses.

Sensei Sergio is right to ask “what’s with your shades?” (but at least Bob didn’t pull a Roger O. Thornhill and respond “they’re sensitive to questions!”)

And speaking of Sensei… Sergio’s wardrobe balances chaos with intention, as his track jacket, embroidered trucker jacket, cowboy boots, and karate pants are all conscious choices he makes to evolve his clothing with the needs of the story. Lockjaw may be the only main male character with a cohesive sense of dress, but he’s an unimaginative man bound by uniforms—both his on-duty BDUs and the off-duty navy blazer, oxford shirts, trad striped ties, and khakis that he invariably wears anytime he’s not dressed for action.

Sensei Sergio vs. Steven J. Lockjaw: Ocean Waves vs. Don’t-call-him-gay!

Sources

• Variety — “‘One Battle After Another’: How Leonardo DiCaprio Ended Up in a ‘Big Lebowski’-esque Faded Plaid Robe” by Jazz Tangcay
• Vogue — “In One Battle After Another, Colleen Atwood Perfects the Art of Subtle Costuming” by Hannah Jackson

The Car

While Willa and a Christmas Adventurer assassin are cosplaying Bullitt in their respective Dodge Charger and Ford Mustang, Bob slugs behind them while slamming the pedal to the medal in his commandeered 1993 Nissan Sentra SE-R, customized with a monstrous grill, the grille and headlights of a Mexican-market Nissan Tsuru, and a distinctive “high-pitched, shitty-exhaust-kit buzz” as described in Max Read’s excellent read about what makes this Sentra so endearing.

Painted [mostly] purple with a “NIGHT RUNNER” decal across the back window, the Nissan is a curious yet fitting choice for Bob, even if it’s one presented out of opportunity and necessity. While the marque lacks the American prestige of the Charger and Mustang that followed similar pursuits a half-century earlier in Bullitt, the ’93 Sentra shares more in common with their analog functionality; with no GPS, CarPlay, or other modern computerized contrivances, it neatly suits Bob’s off-the-grid capabilities as he’s able to easily hot-wire it and push it to the limit across California State Route 78. And though its buzzing four-cylinder engine may keep it the least powerful of the trio, Bob’s Nissan is also the only car to emerge unscathed from the rolling river of hills.

Nissan introduced the subcompact Sentra to the American market in 1982 to replace the Datsun 310, its model name suggested by NameLab to communicate its safety features within a small package—though it was originally a rebadged export of the Japanese market’s Nissan Sunny.

The third-generation Sentra launched in 1990 as model code “B13”, maintaining the previous generation’s 98.7-inch wheelbase across both two- and four-door body styles. The sporty new SE-R trim was launched in 1991, available only in a two-door sedan and powered by Nissan’s SR20DE DOHC engine that offered 140 horsepower, accelerating from 0-60 mph in 7.6 seconds when mated to either the standard five-speed manual transmission or four-speed automatic.

1993 Nissan Sentra SE-R (B13)

Body Style: 2-door sport sedan

Layout: front-engine, front-wheel-drive (FWD)

Engine: 1998 cc (2.0 L) Nissan SR20DE DOHC I4

Power: 140 hp (104.5 kW; 142 PS) @ 6400 RPM

Torque: 130 lb·ft (176 N·m) @ 4800 RPM

Transmission: 4-speed automatic

Wheelbase: 98.7 inches (2430 mm)

Length: 170.3 inches (4325 mm)

Width: 65.6 inches (1665 mm)

Height: 53.9 inches (1370 mm)

This IMCDB entry describes more about the screen-used Sentra SE-R, identifying the likely model year as 1993.

Nissan continues to produce the Sentra, albeit exclusively as a four-door compact sedan since the fourth-generation B14 model code in 1995. As of 2026, the latest Sentra models are all powered by a Renault-Nissan straight-four engine that produces 149 horsepower… albeit considerably more quietly than the 140-hp SR20DE under Bob’s hood.

Bob’s stolen Sentra not-so-quietly enters the scene behind the blue Mustang and white Charger.

The Gun

Bob repeatedly pesters Sensei Sergio for a gun, which Sergio eventually provides by handing over a Remington Model 700 BDL stored in a camouflage Cabela’s case beneath his bed. For a man like Sergio who values quiet competence, it makes sense that his rifle of choice would be one with such a well-earned reputation.

Already more of an expert in explosives than firearms, Bob’s substance-addled aim only allows him one missed shot before he’s under fire from Lockjaw’s MKU goons.

Introduced in 1962, the Remington Model 700 quickly became known for its exceptional accuracy and its smooth, reliable bolt action. The rifle is commonly chambered in classic American hunting cartridges like .243 Winchester, .270 Winchester, .308 Winchester, and .30-06 Springfield, all capable deer calibers at a range of distances, assuming one’s aim hasn’t been affected by thirty years of abusing drugs and alcohol. The BDL variant pairs a cold-forged blued steel barrel—typically between 22 and 24 inches—with a glossy walnut Monte Carlo stock, while its hinged floorplate magazine allows faster unloading than the standard internal-box configuration.

What to Imbibe

A few small beers… specifically a few 12-oz. cans of Modelo Especial, One Battle After Another‘s preferred beer for bad hombres. This 4.4%-ABV pilsner-style Mexican lager was first bottled in 1925, exactly one hundred years before One Battle After Another was released. It recently surpassed Bud Light as the top selling beer in the United States.

Bob had just finished explaining to the insufferable Comrade Josh that he’s “abused drugs and alcohol for the past thirty years, man,” when Sensei Sergio hands him one of many Modelos, perhaps meant to mellow Bob out to the desired level of ocean waves. Sensei later greets him with another sixer of Modelos when liberating him from the hospital.

“You know what freedom is..? No fear. Just like Tom fuckin’ Cruise.”

During the epilogue at home with Willa, Bob drinks Los Conejos Malditos Tempranillo Carbónico, a fruit-forward Spanish red Cencibel wine from Castilla—La Mancha. The shift from weed and beer to red wine neatly mirrors his cleaner appearance and more mature attitude by the end of the story.

How to Get the Look

Leonardo DiCaprio filming One Battle After Another (2025). Photo credit: CPR/D.Sanchez / BACKGRID.

You’d be forgiven for writing a guy off as insane if you saw him wearing a dirty bathrobe, a pair of backpacks, and oversized eye-shields while ranting about Green Acres and asking what time it is (“8:15!”)… so Bob Ferguson’s look for most of One Battle After Another may be best reserved in the realm of costume. But what a costume!

• Red-and-black-on-gray shadow-plaid cotton/wool flannel knee-length bathrobe with shawl collar, patch breast pocket, patch hip pockets, waist sash, and turnback cuffs
• Gray waffle-knit crew-neck long-sleeved T-shirt
• Brown cotton crew-neck short-sleeved T-shirt
• Dark-indigo chino trousers with elastic waistband, on-seam side pockets, button-through back pockets, and plain-hemmed bottoms
• Altra Lone Peak trail-running sneakers with black ripstop mesh uppers, wide toe-boxes, and orange outsoles
• Black socks
• Dark-gray ribbed-knit wool beanie
• Black plastic oversized eye-shields

Do Yourself a Favor and…

Check out the movie, and check out Thomas Pynchon’s 1990 novel Vineland.

The Quote

I can’t do her hair, man. You know that? I don’t know how to do her hair right.