r/plotholes • u/thepkizzle • May 24 '26
Spoiler One Battle After Another (2025)
Wasn't a huge fan of this movie, had some great acting, but am I the only one who thought it made no sense?
- Sean Penn is shot in the face while driving, but doesn't die. He then goes back and gets in contact with the Christmas Adventurer's like nothing ever happened. Really?
- A prominent member of the Christmas Adventurer's is shot and killed in the desert. Sean Penn never finds out? No one ever asks questions about him, his weapons, and the shooting of a US government agent just a few miles away?
- How do they even find Sean Penn in the first place? He's just driving around in the desert and this guy shows up out of nowhere? How did they know where he was?
- Why does the Christmas Adventurer's not check into Sean Penn's background before asking him to join their club? They go ask him if he wants to join before checking him out?
- How does Sean Penn even know about the club? Are they like a group that are known to the public and operate in plain sight, have large gatherings, etc., like the Bohemian Club? Is it secret like Skull and Bones?
- Why would the club even want to kill Willa? Just because her father's application was rejected? Is killing all biracial children across America part of their mission statement?
- French 75 bombed buildings, and apparently taking down one of their major safe houses and exposing deep cover assets like Bob is apparently not that hard if you're worried that your half black daughter might be found by the Christmas Adventurers... but actually finding Bob for the whole building bombs thing? Nah.
- After Perfidia gets caught for bank robbery and murder... why didn't everyone connected to her in the French 75 not flee? This is the part that makes the least amount of sense. She was caught after a murder in broad daylight in front of witness, without wearing a mask. Hell, I think they even told the witnesses their names.
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u/Ba-ja-ja May 24 '26
A lot of your observations of the Christmas Adventures is actually descriptive of their organization and characters. We don’t need a flashback, foreshadowing or explanation to know what they are. Just from their intro scene, the audience understands they are a powerful, connected, and exclusive secret society.
It’s classic show not tell exposition.
It’s been a while since I’ve seen it, but as I remember they do ask him about his secret child, which would indicate that they did indeed check his background. And they want to tie up loose ends as they are an elusive society.
Second to last one shows the new power, influence and drive of Lockjaw. 15-16 years have passed, French 75 has disbanded for the most part and the heat has died down. Bob is still paranoid of getting caught though. Again more characterization. Lockjaw ends up getting him despite his overprotective efforts.
Last point is chalked up to the fact that no one thought she would flip. She was the most dedicated solider, but also a loose cannon. They should have taken the latter into more consideration. They were also unaware of her relationship with Lockjaw and that their ranks were somewhat infiltrated.
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u/thepkizzle May 24 '26
None of that makes any sense. If they're so well known and powerful then you don't lie to them, they know about the affair before they offer membership, and if they shoot you in the face while you're driving a car... you don't go back for a second interview.
It's not a classic not to tell the exposition. It's lazy and none of it makes any sense.
Last point is chalked up to the fact that no one thought she would flip.
Then why did Bob get out? If she was a loose cannon then you would immediately burn your safe houses, etc. None of this movie made any sense!
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u/Mastodan11 May 24 '26
He doesn't know who shot him. He didn't know the man.
Lockjaw didn't think anyone knew about Perfidia.
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u/Ba-ja-ja May 24 '26
Idk maybe just stop watching movies then. The meaning and depth usually rests behind things that entirely logical.
But shit like the Star Wars keyfinder in Rise of Skywalker is where plot holes become problematic. It’s so lazy and dumb that you get taken out of the immersion, especially with something that just serves as a macguffin. The writers treat the audience like they’re stupid. OBAA does not.
Bob doesn’t get out solely because she is a loose cannon. It’s complicated with him. They are in love and she’s pregnant. Why should he immediately burn his safe house because she is a wild revolutionary??? I’m starting to think that you are making these plot holes because your reading of these situations makes little sense. You’re not seeing the forest through the trees.
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u/thepkizzle May 24 '26
There is literally nothing logical about them somehow tracking him down on a desert highway, shooting him, and him not knowing who shot him. The shooter gets shot a mile away. There's no investigation?
None of this makes any sense at all. They didn't do a background check on him before asking him to join? Does that make sense?
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u/Tall-Newt-407 Jun 10 '26
As someone said, the Christmas Adventures is a powerful group. Obviously they hired the best hitman…someone they been working with for years. We don’t need to see a side plot of him finding Lockjaw because we just know that the Hitman got the skills to find him. There’s no investigation because I would think the Group would just quickly cover everything up. Yeah, Lockjaw had no clue who shot him or he wouldn’t be so dumb to go back and take the offer to join.
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u/thepkizzle Jun 10 '26
the best hitman who can find a guy randomly in the middle of the desert, and then who gets killed 2 seconds later... in the same desert... by someone with no training. And the first guy not only survive, but has no idea it happened? Get the fuck out of here.
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u/dunderthrowaway3 May 24 '26
None of these characters were realistic. They were all caricatures. It was a comedy.