Hey folks, Harry here... ever since I saw the trailer where Jet Li uses the motorcycle as a fly swatter, I've been sold the full bill of sale on seeing this film as soon as I possibly can. I sacrificed seeing it the other day because I was doing a screening of AMELIE, which I'd never substitute another current film over (with the noted exception of THE MAJESTIC, VANILLA SKY, OCEAN'S ELEVEN, BLACKHAWK DOWN and of course FELLOWSHIP OF THE RINGS and upon seeing some of these I might regret ever saying that, but I can't say till I've seen them) However, I'm a full scale Hong Kong film junkie, turned to nine and a half on the ten point scale. And this looks like a very fun wire fu bit of super kung fu joy! Here's the Kampbell Kid with the scoop...
Hey it's Kampbell-Kid,
Back here from another sitting with the press and this weeks screening was Jet Li's The One. Now I've been waiting for this one for a long time since before Kiss Of The Dragon came out. I'm just a sucker for fantastic wire-fu and eye candy martial art films regardless if the plot is near zero to none. It's just something artistic or balletic about it to me. Anyway, prepping myself the night before this screening I dug out all my Jet Li films on dvd that he's done from his early Shaolin Temple & Kids From Shaolin back when he was a wee little lad in the 70's, through all his Once Upon A Time In China's, to his Fist Of Legend, Black Mask, Dr. Wai and Romeo Must Die the list can go on. Of course I even had to throw in a non Jet film like Shaolin Soccer to just pump me up even more for today's screening.
Now about The One!! This film is a wire-fu lovers dream come true and one word can describe this film... INTENSE!! It's about a disgruntled Jet Li named Yulaw who's a Multiverse Agent in the future when he discovers that when you kill your exact copy of yourself in a pararell universe, you gain more strength. Well Yulaw has already killed all his clones except one in our dimension named Gabriel, but by now Yulaw has superhuman strength. Basically superman type powers except the ability to literally fly. However, Gabriel in our time has noticed that he has gained strength and superhuman abilities as well that he keeps having denial to having of course until his evil clone Yulaw comes around. From here the film just gets more and more intense. I was mainly just floored by fight direction by Asst Director Corey Yuen. Who has done fights for recents Romeo Must Die and Xmen, etc. The fights in those films were honestly pretty tame and average wire-fu wise, but Corey Yuen this time in The One has out done himself. I have not seen wirework of his this crazy and good since his Fong Sai Yuk films (US title The Legend). Most parts of the film have that crazy gravity bending feel to it that Yuen Woo-Ping brings to his films that we all know and love.
Story wise the film mixed all the great sci-fi concepts of films like
Highlander where you steal the persons power after they are slain until you
become "the one". It had layered realities of The Matrix feel to it. Had the
villainous punishment of The Terminator as he flicked cops off like fleas
and beat them down with motorcycles which was an amazing scene I might add
that I'll go see the movie again just cuz of that. And not to forget all the
films where the star acts opposite of himself as a bad guy, remember
Jean-Claude Van Damme in Double Impact? Ok so we maybe don't want to
remember him All in all this film was very satisfying... a definite feast for the eyes
and ears. I'm extremely excited to see this film do good for Jet because he
needs something awesome like this since turning down the Matrix films
supposedly. However, a big sad damper on this film will be that Monsters,
Inc w/ the Star Wars Ep II trailer attached is coming out the same day as
this film. As you know, film geeks will be flocking to the Pixar film just
to see the Ep II trailer so it will hurt the opening weekend of The One a
little I believe. Don't let it stop ya tho... this is a great film for Jet
and definitely a film that has lots of rewatch value from the mere action
sequences alone because they were so as Keanu "The One" Reeves would put it
"Whoaa..".
Ciao,
Kampbell-Kid
P.S - The new star wars teaser by the way was interesting, caught it last
week at the Monsters, Inc screening. Had the Darth Vader breathing and
focused mainly on the Anakin/Padme' relationship with flashes of the
subplot. Fun fun it was!! Exactly as the last reviewer kind of described it.
Also heard the Nov 9th online trailer release will be slightly different and
longer version followed by the Harry Potter film having a even different
third teaser?! Gotta jet, have a screening of a beautifully shot vietnam
film Vertical Ray Of the Sun... Zzzzzz! Later! :)
