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The One
A sheriff's deputy fights an alternate universe version of himself who grows stronger with each alternate self he kills.
Release : | 2001 |
Rating : | 5.9 |
Studio : | Columbia Pictures, Revolution Studios, Hard Eight Pictures, |
Crew : | Art Department Coordinator, Art Direction, |
Cast : | Jet Li Carla Gugino Delroy Lindo Jason Statham James Morrison |
Genre : | Action Thriller Science Fiction |
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Reviews
The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.
It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny
This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.
The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.
Apparently there isn't just one universe; there are multiple parallel universes and it is possible to travel between them, although this movement is heavily policed. The agency responsible for the policing is the Multiverse Authority. Gabriel Yulaw was one of the agency's officers but after he killed another version of himself in another universe he realised he got stronger and smarter he then went rogue and started hunting all other versions of himself. Now there is only one left; Gabe Law of the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department. Since Yulaw began killing his doubles Law has also started feeling stronger and smarter; he also senses when Yulaw is around. Yulaw isn't bothered who he kills so Law's colleagues think he has gone rogue. The only people who believe that there is a double are Law's wife and Funsch and Rodecker, two Multiverse Authority cops who have been pursuing Yulaw for some time.This is hardly a classic film but it is a fun enough was to pass the time and like sci-fi/martial arts. As others have mentioned the plot feels like a cross between 'Highlander' and 'Time Cop'; this isn't really a problem though as it is done effectively. The action is pretty impressive; the final confrontation between Law and Yulaw where we see Jet Li fighting himself was particularly well done it really did look like there were two versions of Jet Li fighting. There are also shootouts and explosions. The only weakness in the action is when Jet Li's characters display their superior strength; sometimes the effects used don't look as real as they might although the sight of Yulaw picking up two motorbikes and battering a cop between them was so silly it was funny! Jet Li is pretty good in the lead role and is ably supported by Carla Gugino as his wife, Jason Statham as Funsch and Delroy Lindo as Rodecker. Overall this is fun sci-fi action; not a must see film but worth checking out if you are a fan of Jet Li or Jason Statham.
In 80s fantasy blockbuster Highlander, Connor MacLeod exclaimed 'There can be only one!' as he lopped off fellow immortals' heads and absorbed their power. In the ground-breaking 1999 sci-fi smash hit The Matrix, Neo was The One, a superhuman being with amazing speed and agility. In The One, a fun martial arts/sci-fi actioner that borrows ideas from both Highlander and The Matrix, Gabriel Yulaw (Jet Li) hopes to become The One by killing off alternate versions of himself in numerous parallel universes, growing increasingly more powerful as a result.While this film might not be quite on a par with either of the titles it so blatantly borrows from, it does provide a whole heap of spectacular effects-packed entertainment, with blistering ballistic battles, amazing kung fu fights, and explosions galore as Yulaw tries to eradicate Gabe Law, the last of his doppelgangers. Extra firepower comes in the form of inter-dimensional agents Harry Roedecker and Evan Funsch (Delroy Lindo and Jason Statham), who do their utmost to apprehend the killer.Director James Wong (Final Destination and Final Destination 3) directs with gusto, employing state of the art CGI (at the time of release) and impressive wire-fu techniques to give his fight scenes maximum impact. The film builds to a hugely enjoyable, well choreographed climax in which Yulaw and Law duke it out in a factory, causing damage on a massive scale. A rocking nu-metal soundtrack also serves to enhance the impressive action. The film also earns bonus points for featuring not one, not two, but three versions of the lovely Carla Gugino.
I have been a massive fan of The One since I first saw it in 2002 and it is in on my long term list of comfort pop corn cinema especially good for curling up to in bed or on the couch late at night.Sure it has many flaws such as a limited and narrow soundtrack, mostly numetal that isn't uncommon for many action films of the era (Think Triple X or Underworld). The general emotional commitment from the cast is quite minimal apart from Harry Roedecker (Delroy Lindo) and T.K. (Carla Gugino) though their contribution is still a couple levels above basement. I actually see the deadpan emotional involvement in this film as productive as it is seldom needed to carry the film.Jet Li does surprisingly well portraying the dual personalities of Law and Yulaw.The special effects are amazing and work well for the film and apart from the final fight scene I see them as undated even in todays standards.If you love your b film action with plenty of eye candy and acting cast that generally excel in the genre then I thoroughly recommend this film.I recommend seeing The One on Blu Ray to maximise the cgi fest.
Given the interesting idea behind the story, 'The One' could have been an entertaining flick. However, the contrived script, lack of character development and poor execution are what majorly let it down. Given the many plot turns, the writers could have done loads and easily turned this into better material. In all fairness, they do provide some funny lines. Jet Li is a good actor and his amazing martial arts skills can sometimes make an entire movie worth viewing. Yet, the way the film portrays his skills is very poorly done (close cropped camera limits the magnitude of the fight sequences). There are some good visual effects and some very bad ones. Performance-wise Jet Li does well with the limited characterization. Jason Statham and Delroy Lindo are passable. Carla Gugino is very good and she has great chemistry with Li. Overall, it's a missed opportunity.