From Silence to Shock Waves

“‘More French Connection. Less Fast and Furious.’”

Skywalker Sound re-recording mixer Tony Villaflor remembers director Paul Thomas Anderson’s request for an intense car chase that takes place early on in One Battle After Another (2025).

The director described how the chase, which follows a violent bank robbery and the murder of a security guard, should be free of music and instead rely on sound. “As the sound effects mixer, I was like, ‘Oh, that’s great! I can play lead guitar here,’” Villaflor laughs. “It was awesome.”

After killing the security guard, Perfidia Beverly Hills (Teyana Taylor) flees the bank with fellow accomplices from the French 75 revolutionary group. They hold on for dear life inside a minivan careening through downtown city streets, with the sounds of car alarms, screeching tires, and revving engines building tension and a sense of danger. The minivan crashes, and Perfidia runs, but approaching sirens signal the police are catching up. A helicopter — watching from above but never seen on camera — gets louder as the dragnet closes.

The chaotic two-minute sequence gives the Dolby Atmos system a workout. “There’s Atmos surround in all the overheads, and lots of subwoofer,” Villaflor tells Skysound.com. The cinematic cacophony increases in volume until an abrupt cut to a nearly silent shot of Perfidia on the ground. As she’s taken into custody, the scene is backed by a much smaller, essentially mono mix…

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