The Ben Shapiro Show — Episode: Woke Movie promotes VIOLENCE against ICE

Host: Ben Shapiro (The Daily Wire)
Date: October 4, 2025

Overview:

In this episode, Ben Shapiro delivers a critical review of Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest film, One Battle After Another, which he argues promotes radical left-wing violence and offers a conspiratorial, negative portrayal of America’s immigration policies and law enforcement, specifically targeting ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement). Shapiro dissects the film's plot, themes, and characterizations, expressing alarm over the film’s political messaging and Hollywood’s promotion of it.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Initial Impressions and Technical Merits

• Ben describes the film as visually and technically impressive—hallmarks of Paul Thomas Anderson’s direction.
  • “The direction is top tier because it's Paul Thomas Anderson, meaning it's a beautiful looking film, moves quickly. The music is actually quite good.” (00:43)
• Despite technical strengths, Shapiro quickly dismisses the overall film:
  • “First of all, not good, do not like, bad.” (00:16)

2. Plot Overview & Character Critique

• The movie, “loosely related” to Thomas Pynchon’s Vineland, is summarized as a “mess,” with unconvincing character names and over-the-top, on-the-nose characterizations ([starting at 01:02]).

• Central characters:

  • Perfidia Beverly Hills (Tiana Taylor): Revolution-obsessed, sexually promiscuous, leads bombings against ICE, involved in a BDSM relationship with the villain, Colonel Stephen Lockjaw.
  • Ghetto Pat Calhoun/Bob (Leonardo DiCaprio): Her partner, later a washed-up, weed-smoking sanctuary city dad.
  • Colonel Stephen Lockjaw (Sean Penn): ICE commander, white nationalist, villain with a “sadomasochistic relationship with black female revolutionaries.”
  • Sergio San Carlos (Benicio Del Toro): Oddball karate teacher, leads underground railroad for illegal immigrants.

• Shapiro mocks the film’s attempts at satire via character names and scenes:

  • “All of the names here are supposed to be on the nose, sort of slightly surrealistic, but they're not good, right? Perfidia Beverly Hills. Because it turns out that she is perfidious. Get it?” (01:15)
  • “You get a very long shot of his crotch as he is turned on by this radical Black Panther like terrorist.” (02:20)

3. Narrative Structure and Ideological Agenda

• Film’s narrative structure:
  • Starts with a violent ICE raid by revolutionary protagonists.
  • Explores sexual and ideological tensions between Perfidia and Lockjaw.
  • Shifting timeframes: 16 years pass, focus moves to their offspring, Willa, who becomes another radical.
• Shapiro calls out the film’s “conspiratorial” implication that America is run by white Christian nationalists targeting people of color, necessitating violent resistance:
  • “The basic suggestion is a conspiracy theory in which the United States is run by white supremacist Christian nationalists and all people of color and a few nice incompetent fellow travelers like Bob are going to take on that entire system.” (09:30)

4. Portrayal of Violence Against ICE & Ideological Concerns

• Shapiro is alarmed at what he sees as the normalization and approval of violence:
  • “It is better, in other words, to be a complete loser who wastes your life bombing things randomly in order to free illegal immigrants… than to be, like a productive citizen…” (10:08)
• He relates this to real-world concerns about the “permission structures” for violence:
  • “These ideologies are bad because they include three components. One, a conspiratorial view of the universe… Two, a belief that your specific group is being targeted, and three, a belief that violence is justified in self defense. That's this entire film.” (10:37)

5. Critique of Hollywood and Critical Reception

• Ben criticizes mainstream media’s positive reviews, mocking their attempts to find nuance where, he argues, none exists.
• Reads from Washington Post reviews:
  • “One writer, for example, says, quote, 'One battle after another shifts the paranoid nightmare of Nixon era political extremism to our current powder keg moment in a way that helps us process it. Yes, it could get that bad again. And this is what it would look like…'” (11:35)
  • Ben’s reaction: “Except that at the very end you might think that's where it's going. That's not where it goes…” (12:00)

6. Closing Thoughts on the Film and Awards Prospects

• Predicts the film will be lauded by Hollywood despite its flaws:
  • “Will this win Academy Awards? It'll win all the Academy Awards because this is what Hollywood wants. Left wing agit prop from high powered directors.” (12:37)
• Differentiates this film from Anderson’s other works, lamenting Anderson’s political turn:
  • “It's a little surprising for Paul Thomas Anderson, who's sort of stayed away from the overtly political for a while… But this is. This is a. It's just bad. It's not good.” (12:20)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the film's core message:

  • “The entire film is that there's a conspiratorial group of white Christian nationalists who are targeting people of color. Those people of color have to band together along with a few moron fellow travelers like Bob, in order to take on that conspiracy.” (10:57)

• On the lack of subtlety:

  • “This is a subtle movie in the way that a brick is subtle.” (11:18)

• On mainstream critical defenses:

  • “All these writers are trying to find something there that isn’t there. Or they are softly justifying all of this.” (11:47)

• Summary assessment:

  • "You can make excuses for it, but basically the thing's an apologia for radical left wing terrorism. That's what it is." (12:18)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:16] — Initial cinematic impressions (“not good, do not like, bad”)
• [01:02-04:21] — Plot and character breakdown
• [09:30-10:37] — Ideological critique & conspiracy undertones
• [10:37-11:08] — Discussion of violence permission structures
• [11:35-12:18] — Reading of Washington Post review and rebuttal
• [12:20-12:37] — Closing thoughts; Anderson’s political direction, award predictions

Conclusion

Ben Shapiro’s review frames One Battle After Another as emblematic of Hollywood's left-wing “agitprop,” harshly criticizing it for promoting an extremist, conspiratorial worldview, excusing violence against ICE and celebrating radical leftist activism. He denounces the film’s lack of nuance, mechanical symbolism, and unoriginal satire, while expressing concern over the trend of mainstream media and award bodies to reward films that, in his view, undermine American values and law enforcement.

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