The One (2001)

User Rating:

5.5/10   

Director:

James Wong

Writers (WGA):

Glen Morgan (written by) &
James Wong (written by)

Release Date:

2 November 2001 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

What if there was a killer traveling through parallel worlds...and he looked just like you? [taken from the trailer]

Plot:

A sheriff's deputy fights an alternate universe version of himself who grows stronger with each alternate self he kills.

Plot Keywords:

Police | Escape | Prison | Arrest | Police Officer

Awards:

4 nominations

Cast

Jet Li	...	Gabe Law / Gabriel Yulaw / Lawless
Carla Gugino	...	T.K. Law / Massie Walsh
Delroy Lindo	...	MVA Agent Harry Roedecker / Gas Station Attendant
Jason Statham	...	MVA Agent Evan Funsch
James Morrison	...	LAPD Officer Bobby Aldrich / 'A' World Inmate #1
Dylan Bruno	...	Yates
Richard Steinmetz	...	D'Antoni
Steve Rankin	...	MVA Supervisor
Tucker Smallwood	...	Prison Warden
Harriet Sansom Harris	...	Nurse Besson
David Keats	...	MRI Technician
Dean Norris	...	Sgt. Siegel
Ron Zimmerman	...	Rotten Ronnie
Darin Morgan	...	Hugo
Mark Borchardt	...	Cesar

Also Known As:

Jet Li's The One (UK)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for intense action violence and some language.

Runtime:

87 min | Germany:85 min (cut version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Germany:16 (cut version) | USA:PG-13 (certificate #38092) | Iceland:14 | Iceland:16 (video rating) | Malaysia:18SG | South Korea:12 | Philippines:PG-13 | UK:15 | Canada:14A | Finland:K-15 | France:U | Germany:18 | Hungary:14 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | Singapore:PG | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Edison Generating Station, Redondo Beach, California, USA

Company:

Revolution Studios

Trivia:

The 'University Medical Center' where Gabe goes for the MRI is the North Hollywood Medical Center where the popular sitcom "Scrubs" (2001) is filmed.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Yulaw kills T.K. he shoots her on the right side, when she is seen lying on the ground she has a wound on the left side.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Narrator: 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.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Forbidden Kingdom (2008)

Soundtrack:

Bodies

Li shows acting ability in sci-fi flick

The One is a martial-arts flick with strong sci-fi concepts. But the bottom line remains high-kicking action, and Jet Li delivers.

Li also shows his acting ability in this film. He displays that he can do more than one personality.

As Yulaw, he's a cold-blooded killer who lashes out with sudden fury and insolent superiority. As Gabe, he's a dutiful lawman and devoted husband. (Sin City's Carla Gugino plays his wife.) In the middle are Multiverse cops played by Delroy Lindo (Domino, Romeo Must Die) and Jason Statham (Crank), who lead a super supporting cast.

Director James Wong and his co-writer, Glen Morgan, are X-Files veterans who know their sci-fi. Choreographed by Cory Yuen (also of Li's Kiss of the Dragon), the best fight has Li battling himself, with each character using different techniques.

The One is one film whose far-out concept works.