4/5

Absolute sublime film, I’d say I wish they could shave 15 minutes but every sequence is so good I don’t know where I’d start. The beginning’s prologue is unflinching in its portrayal of revolutionary violence and love, and throws the audience immediately into the deep end. The writer’s knowledge of the Weather Underground and Militant Black Power movements of the 70s are on full display here without feeling fan-ish.

Leo gives us one of the funniest performances of his life. Fewer scenes in cinema more relatable than trying to remember something you’ve forget ted because you are stoned, and smoking more of the joint to try and help you recall. “I am a drugs and alcohol lover” is an absolutely killer line.

Somehow, Leo’s batshit performance ends up taking a back seat to our secondary characters. Sean Penn’s absolutely disgusting performance as the villain feels like a complete masterclass in being a total freak. As if not to be undone, Benecio del Toro can’t help but absolutely steal the show in all the scenes he’s in. “I’ve got a Mexican Harriet Tubman Situation Going On” followed by the one-shot sequence in his building, moving all of the guests around is so well executed it feels surreal.

By the time the credits roll its gotten a little messy, and I don’t think we really get a resolution to some of the strings they’d been sowing with Willa’s mom and the rest of the of the French 75-ers. But, the final scenes with the the shootout and the Christmas Adventurers are satisfying enough.