The One

By: Jack Hunt 3.14.2009

The Movie Itself:
We live in a world where not only one universe exists, but many, with not only one version of an individual, but hundreds. We can travel between worlds, but only under the watchful eye of MVA agents, sworn to protect the identities of the vast majority. Until a murderous fiend discovers the hidden power shared between one universe and another. A primacy that’s so fierce, if left in the hands of the corrupt could have grave consequences. Each time one entity is destroyed, the other versions of him become more powerful, until there is no more opposing life forces and there can be only ‘The One’.

“There is not one universe. There are many: A multiverse. We have the technology to travel between universes, but travel is highly restricted and policed. There is not one you. There are many. Each of us exists in present time, in parallel universes. There was balance in the system, but now a force exists who seeks to destroy the balance so he can become The One.”

Jet Li stars as Gabriel Yulaw, Gabe Law and Lawless. Confused yet? No? Well there is plenty of time for that. Gabriel Yulaw, a former ‘MVA’ (Multiverse) agent turned psychopathic self murderer, was forced to kill himself, by way of Lawless, in a parallel universe. What makes one a self murderer? Well anybody knows that the act causes the other version of you to become a stronger, faster, better versions of yourself. So now you’re confused? Take your time; I’ll give you about 3 seconds. Unable to cope with the thought of that anyone could be better than him, Yulaw goes on a killing spree, taking out 123 versions over the past couple of years. After Lawless’s demise, Yulaw is brought into custody by his former partner MVA Agent Harry Roedecker (Lindo) and rookie agent Evan Funsch (Statham). Yulaw easily escapes the brief incarceration and is on the hunt for his last and most important victim. If Yulaw is successful in his attempt to carry out this last vengeful deed, the outcome could be far worse than the end of the world. It could very well mean the end of the universe as we know it, or even worse, give Yulaw all the power in it. The final target on the agenda: naïve Gabe Law, an innocent police officer.

The film answers the age old question of how many versions of me are there in the several different universes. “People get older, Gabe. They don't get stronger. They don't get faster all of a sudden.” Well maybe in your universe this is true, but in a world with countless multi-verses, anything can and will happen. Before my first viewing of the film, I imagined it to be some sort of futuristic adventure that ends up with Jet Li kicking ass through time. Hot off the coattails of the blockbuster hit ‘The Matrix’, I expected to see several scenes using the same camera mechanics and theory of the film. I couldn’t have been more right. Then after reading the box cover, I discovered that it’s Jet Li kicking his own ass in a parallel universe. And no this is not a rip off Jean Claude Van Damme’s retarded 1991 thriller titled ‘Double Impact,' in which two identical Van Damme’s would reek, yes, smell, havoc across an unsuspecting city while trying to kill themselves. ‘The One’ is slightly better.

After the final scene I realized where I’d seen this film before. Not in the literary sense, but in one that everything seems all too familiar in style and substance. Why does there always have to be the one? In the classic age/time flick, ‘Highlander,’ the theme ripped on the idea that, “There can be only one.” In ‘The Matrix,’ Neo was trying to figure out if he was the only one who could physically and mentally hack into the mainframe of the evil supercomputer that became all life. And yes, Jet Li can dodge bullets now; hell, even I can. And finally, in the second piece of crap that Van Damme put out in which he fights himself, ‘Maximum Risk,’ Jean must overcome his evil twin brother to become the one. My question is simple, why can’t there ever be more than just one? Hey it’s a big bad world out there; sometimes we can even have a couple of heroes. In the film of the same title, ‘The One’, Jet Li on one occasion has to murder his superior alter universe identities just because they are tougher than him. Why can’t they just join forces and rule the multiverse under a new reign of Li?

Even after countless thrilling action adventures, Jet Li still hasn’t mastered his English accent. In general, he’s a pretty terrible actor, but it’s easy to see why Li has legions of fans in America and abroad. The guy is a martial arts phenomenon and never fails to carry himself with class. I was first introduced to Li in the movie 'Lethal Weapon 4,' where he appears as the quiet but dangerous villain who was waiting to unleash a mirage of pain across Danny Glover’s "I should have retired 15 years ago in 1994 body" ass. It’s interesting to find that he didn’t speak any English at the time of the film. Yes, he has come a long way, and one has to respect that. Hey it’s not like I can speak a lick of the Chinese language, so in retrospect, who am I to judge? Jason Stratham on the other hand, has no excuse for this terrible performance. He also has come a long way since this film debuted, as lately he has became another tough guy for the new generation, a British tough guy.

The biggest problem in the film is that the special effects are not as believable as the fighting sequences. Sure I can believe Jet Li is kicking ass, but the effects for the transfers are pretty weak. Mainly because of the broken glass universe swapping effect, that reminds me of a B grade film instead of a giant and bloated $50 million dollar Jet Li budget film. In general, it’s a pretty fun movie, with what could have been great storyline. The film delivers on action, but little else. That alone may be enough for some, but it makes me long for the truly great martial arts and action flicks of my youth. The final fight scene is classic and has several beautifully choreographed sequences. All I can say is, man.. that guy is fast. One thing’s for sure, Jet Li has the coolest cell phone I’ve ever seen.

“There has never been anything like what I have become… The Multiverse. Every universe in itself is irrational, sloppy. I just try to make it rational. I just try to make it neat.” Having just finished reading ‘Hagakure; The Book of the Samurai’, by Yamamtoto Tsunetomo, I can’t help but make the connection to this brief example of the well-written but ill conceived dialogue by Li. In the book, written in the early 17th century, Tsunetomo described the way of the Samurai by detailing every aspects of a Samurai’s life according to how one should live it. In the scene, Li he has been arrested for the murders of his alter identity’s and stands on trial. “Our bodies are given life from the midst of nothingness. Existing where there is nothing is the meaning of the phrase, ‘Form is emptiness’. That all things are provided for by nothingness is the meaning of the phrase, ‘Emptiness is form’. One should not think that these things are two separate things.” -Tsunetomo.
Rating: 5/10

The Presentation:
Jet Li’s ‘The One’ debuts on Blu-ray with a 1080p~AVC MPEG-4 transfer and results are as gorgeous as a fairly recent Blu-ray disc should be. With both crystal clear exteriors and interiors, to follow the exciting action sequences that rain heavy in martial arts dominated film. The overall flow and pace of the film follows the transfer with detail and clarity. Very sharp scenes track another and the consistency of the transfer is solid. Some shots are shaky, but the action has a complete and steady feel to it.

The disc starts off bathed in dark tones with deep blues and purples prevalent, followed up by one vibrant color display after another. With a deep palette that gives off the proper tone that a futuristic action thriller should. Skin tones are correct and flush. The disc is ultra sharp, with few if any soft scenes. Clarity is fine and the film has a picture perfect feel to it. Even if some scenes appear to be bordering on the B level grade of intensity, night exteriors shine and look fantastic. Several night chase scenes are rampant and every street, police car and background light shines a distressing disorder. There is really little to complain about in terms of picture quality, as stated, it’s basically everything a recent enough release has become expected to be. The film does lack in basic vision, as the camera work and shot angles seem to be a bit generic. Most scenes hardly live up to what they could or should have really been.

As I mentioned before, the shaky shots in the film appears to be of that of the director’s vision and/or fault. Sometimes I think guys like Jet Li are better off directing themselves. The tight angle shots of the fast paced, closed cropped action sequences are fast becoming a carefully constructed clique in Hollywood these days. No better example of the abuse is the latest from Matt Damon’s blockbuster series ‘The Bourne Ultimatum’. The technique is fast wearing out its welcome with this viewer, mostly because of the fact that you miss most of the action and the camera takes are often distracting. In contrast to that, though, most action scenes are brilliantly executed by the sheer will of Li’s talent, with the final sequence serving as a fine example. In a downpour of electric transistor sparks and subsequent explosions, luminous with color and contrast, Li carries out one of the most elaborate and thorough fight scenes of the film. The detail can be fully appreciated as the scene plays out, with bright orangey fire, a cool crisp rain and claustrophobic smoke. “Shittt..”

Sony’s Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround audio more than gets the job done as the disc sound fantastic. The action pops on all speakers, with a decent range and deep bass. On the other-hand, the soundtrack seems a bit dated and almost corny at times. In general, I’m a fan of relatively all martial arts action films, but not terribly of Li himself. Maybe because the roles he picks never seem to peak my interest. Not to say that he is not one of the best action-based performers currently in the business. The Blu-ray transfer is sure to delight fans of the film and martial arts enthusiasts as well. The film is not Li’s best or worst, it just is.
Rating: 9/10

The Extras:
Exclusive HD Content : BD-Live enabled disc for 2.0 fans.

Director & Crew Commentary

Jet Li is The One : A featurette of cast and crew discussing the martial artist majesty of Jet Li. The only guy who could beat Jet Li in a fight is Jet Li. That’s mostly why he signed up for the film, competition. Whatever you do don’t touch his hair! (14 mins SD)

Multiverses Create “The One” : A look inside the fight sequences and shot locations. Some behind the scenes rehearsals and discussion of production of scenes. (19 mins SD)

About Face : Good Jet v. Bad Jet. No surprise that bad Jet is better. How can Jet Li fight himself? Easy, through the magic off modern film, but it's unsurprising that no one ever wins. A discussion of the technology and special effects of the film. (6 mins SD)

The Many Faces of Jet Li : A brief introduction to the many characters Li portrays throughout the film. Basically a visual filler extra. (2 mins SD)

Animatic Comparison : A fairly short and strange comparison between the film and action figures, acting out the same scene side by side. Why? (1 min SD)

Preview : Resident Evil: Degeneration (HD)
Rating: 4/10

Overall:
If there ever was a film that could make the combination of several universes and dramatic martial arts fighting sequences boring, this is ‘The One’. Jet Li brings his usually quality performance and Jason Stratham takes his crack at helping move the film along. The fundamentals of the screenplay are solid, but fail in their attempt even with some good lines and heavy fight scenes. Basically; good idea, bad film. The Blu-ray disc is stellar though and is sure to delight Li fans and martial arts enthusiasts. I wanted to like this film, honestly I did, but I just couldn’t.
Rating: 7/10