Where to watch The One
1 1/2 Stars
There is not one universe, but there are many, which is a multiverse. Supposing you are just one person, there are many other versions of you in the other universes. There are ways to travel, but only a police agency, MVA, can travel only for police procedures. Gabriel Yulaw is a former MVA agent who killed another version of himself in self-defense. It made the other versions of him stronger. When Yulaw found out about this, he became power-hungry, killing the 122 other versions for two years. After killing Lawless and getting captured by his former partner, Roedecker, and a new MVA agent, Funsch, Yulaw managed to escape the prison and is trying to kill his last target, Gabe Law, who is a police officer. He is also at Yulaw’s strength. Roedecker and Funsch now have to arrest Yulaw before he can kill Gabe. There is a possibility that the universe could die or make Yulaw invincible. After encountering Yulaw for the first time, Gabe thought that it was his split personality, but it wasn’t. Will Gabe be able to confront Yulaw before or after Yulaw ruins his life?
‘The One’ ranks among the worst movies of 2001, but it is the first time I have ever seen a movie use a multiverse as a story gimmick. Today, the concept is widely recognized due to the popularity of comic books and the MCU, but 25 years ago, the idea of parallel timelines running concurrently was heady. Co-creators Glen Morgan and James Wong had been on an impressive run of hits leading up to The One, a bizarre and borderline incoherent sci-fi/martial arts mash-up that does neither successfully, which inexplicably managed to generate modest but impressive results at the box office.
Leathal Weapon 4 introduced Jet Li to American audiences. When that film became a massive box-office hit, Hollywood producers were eager to sign the Asian cinema star to their projects. This resulted in the dreadful Romeo Must Die, Cradle 2 the Grave, and The One. Only Luc Besson knew how to use the athlete/actor properly, and Kiss of the Dragon emerged as the only Jet Li movie filmed outside of Asia that is watchable. James Wong would have been better off casting a big-screen personality like The Rock or Arnold than the quietly reflective Li.
Directed by: James Wong
Written by: Glen Morgan, James Wong
Starring: Jet Li, Carla Gugino, Delroy Lindo