Film Fans Stunned! 'One Battle' Wins Big - Is It Really the BEST?!

Paul Thomas Anderson's *One Battle After Another* is making a serious run for the Oscars, folks. The film continued its awards season blitz Wednesday, snagging the Best Film honor from the National Board of Review. It's always interesting to see how these early awards shake out; they don't always predict the big night, but they certainly build momentum.

Film Fans Stunned! 'One Battle' Wins Big - Is It R...

The NBR, a group comprised of film buffs, filmmakers, industry insiders, and academics (quite the diverse bunch!), showered the Warner Bros. crime thriller with a whopping five awards. Besides the coveted Best Film nod, Anderson himself took home Best Director. Leonardo DiCaprio predictably won Best Actor, and Benicio Del Toro walked away with Best Supporting Actor. And rounding out the sweep, Chase Infiniti was recognized with the Breakthrough Performer Award. Not a bad haul, eh?

This victory lap comes hot on the heels of *One Battle After Another*'s recent triumphs at the Gotham Film Awards (Best Feature) and the New York Film Critics Circle (same honor). You gotta think Warner Bros. is popping the champagne right now. All this early buzz is practically free advertising for what is, let's face it, a fairly complex and demanding film. It's not your typical superhero fare, that's for sure.

Rose Byrne, continuing her awards season streak, repeated her NYFCC win, grabbing Best Actress for *If I Had Legs I’d Kick You*. I haven't seen that one yet, but the title alone has me intrigued. Meanwhile, *It Was Just an Accident*, fresh off its Palme d’Or win at Cannes, was crowned Best International Film. *Arco* secured Best Animated Film, and the Seymour Hersh documentary *Cover-Up* rightfully earned Best Documentary honors. Hersh is a legend, and that documentary, though controversial, is a must-see.

Ryan Coogler won Best Original Screenplay for *Sinners*, another Warner Bros. picture, proving they had a good night all around. Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar snagged Best Adapted Screenplay for Netflix’s *Train Dreams*. *Sinners* also saw Autumn Durald Arkapaw recognized for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography. Visually, it's a stunning film, so that award is well-deserved. The NBR also gave out an award for Outstanding Achievement in Stunt Artistry to *Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning*, something often overlooked but incredibly important to the impact of an action film.

The 2025 winners will be celebrated at the NBR’s annual gala on January 13, 2026, at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York City, with Willie Geist of NBC hosting. Last year, Universal’s *Wicked* got the Best Film seal of approval from the NBR. Though they don't always pick the eventual Oscar winner, remember that back in 2018, they did correctly predict *Green Book*'s Best Picture win. So, could *One Battle After Another* be heading for Oscar glory? Only time will tell, but it's definitely a strong contender.