The One Review

by Rose 'Bams' Cooper (bams AT 3blackchicks DOT com)
November 5th, 2001

'3BlackChicks Review...'

THE ONE (2001)
Rated PG-13; running time 96 minutes
Genre: SciFi/Action
Seen at: Celebration Cinema (Lansing, Michigan)
Official site: http:/www.spe.sony.com/movies/theone/
IMDB site: http://us.imdb.com/Details?0267804
Written by: Glen Morgan, James Wong
Directed by: James Wong
Cast: Jet Li, Carla Gugino, Delroy Lindo, Jason Statham

Review Copyright Rose Cooper, 2001
Review URL: http://www.3blackchicks.com/bamstheone.html

Maybe in an alternate universe, someone will save the audience time, and make an action flick that just moves from one action scene to another without even bothering with a plot. Oh wait; that's porn. My bad.

The Story (WARNING: **spoilers contained below**)
THE ONE takes the notion that Somewhere Way The Hell Out There, there's someone just like you and I - and flips it on its ear: here, there are *multiple* universes with several hundreds of someones like us out there.

For Bad Guy Yu Law (Jet Li), that old saying "That which does not kill me, makes me stronger", doesn't quite apply: Law discovers that killing all of his other "me"s *is* what makes him stronger. He travels through the multiverse seeking out his doppelgangers [I do so love that word] and killing them, thereby taking on their energies, growing stronger, faster, more invincible every time.

To become the last Law standing - The One - Law must go after Gabriel Law (also Jet Li), an unsuspecting sheriff in our universe. As Yu Law comes closer to Gabe's world, Gabe tries to convince his wife T.K. (Carla Gugino) that something's wrong. But Gabe will need more help than she can give him. That's where Multiverse Agents Roedecker (Delroy Lindo) and Funsch (Jason Statham) come in...

The Upshot:
Almost every frame of this movie reminded me of Something Else; if it wasn't THE MATRIX, then it was HIGHLANDER, or TIME COP, or [insert Glossy Action Flick here]. Nothing wrong with that, per se - except that THE ONE did little to put its own brand on the Glossy Action Flick label. Then again, there *was* that motorcycle-as-nunchuck scene...
THE ONE fell into the classic big-budget action flick trap of putting much more into the way it looked and moved, than into the story itself; probably because writer/director James Wong didn't give the story enough time to simmer on the development stove. On the other hand, let's be real: who really goes to see a big-budget action flick for much besides the *action*? I didn't expect much past the Pretty Pictures, and my low expectations were met head-on.

And man, did it look good. The "Li vs Li" fight scenes were spectacular; my husband especially enjoyed them, noting that Li's close-quarters kata movements were quite impressive to watch. Likewise, the special effects/computer wizardry was top-notch; the post-production work that had to have gone into making THE ONE come across so stunningly on screen, raised the bar for the next epic action flick that comes down the pike. But with nothing of any real substance to wrap around itself around (and no, the sillyness that Funsch expositorily mumbled *wasn't* Substance), the viewer just walks away feeling like they ate a big ball of cotton candy: empty calories on a stick.

Bammer's Bottom Line:
I have the distinct feeling that there will be a "part two" somewhere down the road. Maybe by then, Wong will find a story to add to the pretty pictures. For now, if you do go to see THE ONE - and despite my lackluster feeling about the story, I think you should - watch for a genuinely funny take on the Florida elections, and a rib-tickler straight out of DELIVERANCE in the final scene. Who said Jet Li flicks don't have a sense of humor!

THE ONE (rating: flashing yellowlight):
Any movie where someone gets pimpslapped with a motorcycle, is something you gotta see. Just don't expect much else from this action-packed, but story-light, flick.

Rose "Bams" Cooper
Webchick and Editor,
3BlackChicks Review
Entertainment Reviews With Flava!
Copyright Rose Cooper, 2001
EMAIL: [email protected]
http://www.3blackchicks.com/

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