'The One' lacks plot, good
characterization
 By
Jeff Cantwell
Staff Writer
If there is only one movie you see this year, make
sure it is not this one.
"The One" is a science fiction martial arts story
about multiple universes and the cops that police them. Each universe,
126 in all, contains different versions of the same people. The multiverse
police protect this balance.
Jet Li stars as Yulaw, a former multiverse police
officer who learns that if he kills the version of himself in another
universe, he, along with the other remaining versions, will become stronger.
At the onset of the film there are only three versions
of Yulaw left, and after the first scene, there are only two. Which
means Li also stars as Gabe, the good version of Yulaw (surprise!).
This leads to the film's main theme; watching one
of the best martial artists in film fight himself for an hour and a
half. I would be lying if I said it wasn't a promising theory.
But just like communism, this theory just doesn't
pan out.
"The One" falls victim to a non-existent story
line, weak characterizations and special effects that become too special
for their own good.
Li may be a great fighter, but I've seen dancing
circus monkeys with more emotional range. His emotions are too passive
to persuade anyone that he feels anything but a need to fight.
The tedious filming process of making Li fight
himself caused the film to be so short that it appears to last only
a few minutes.
Jason Statham ("Snatch") and Delroy Lindo ("Gone
in Sixty Seconds") are the cops on the trail of the evil Yulaw. Neither
of the characters are remotely developed and Statham, who is usually
a solid actor, butchers his attempt at an American accent.
"The One" is filled with a death-metal soundtrack
that rocks the theater during the fight scenes, and, surprisingly, that
is the one thing I liked.
The only cool fight scene is at the beginning,
set to the music of Drowning Pool. The song worked well, setting the
mood and pace as Yulaw made the bodies hit the floor.
Director James Wong ("Final Destination") tried
to take the fighting to a level above "The Matrix." It uses the same
effect, called bullet time, which means there is a lot of slow motion.
In movies like this, it is important to know that
slow actually means incredibly fast. And apparently Li is the fastest
cat in town, but too much use of wires and slow motion hinder his amazing
fighting capabilities.
One of these days Li will find a role suitable
for his considerable skill that doesn't have to use fancy tricks.
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