At the end of this week, The One is leaving Netflix. And there’s some interesting backstory behind this flick.
Glen Morgan and James Wong — the creative team behind the original Final Destination — originally wanted to cast Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as the main character in The One.
They ultimately made the better choice by going with Hong Kong martial arts movie icon Jet Li.
Contemporary critics weren’t fond of The One, but it’s Watch With Us‘ pick to watch this weekend, if only to see a young Jason Statham duke it out with some bad guys.
Jet Li Gives Two Great Performances
Technically, Li is playing at least nine characters in The One, but the focus comes down to two variants: Gabe Law and Gabriel Yulaw. This film was made over two decades before the Oscar-winning Everything Everywhere All At Once, and it’s not as introspective as that flick. But it does use the concept of the multiverse to great effect as Yulaw travels from universe to universe to kill every single variant of himself that he can find.
Li’s villainous character is actually more charismatic than his ordinary counterpart, Law. There’s a certain glee that Li takes from playing such a bad guy that it’s hard not to smile or laugh when he makes his grand plans to become a god by slaying his final variant. He’s over-the-top in the most enjoyable way possible. At the same time, Li gives Law an appealing and heroic persona as the one man in the entire multiverse who might be able to stop himself.
The Film’s Martial Arts Action Is Intense
This is one of the reasons why it would have been a mistake to cast The Rock in the leading roles of The One. Despite the great talent that Johnson displayed in The Smashing Machine, he simply wasn’t a very good actor in 2001. Nor would the action have had the same martial arts action that Li knew so well. Li actually gave Law and Yulaw their own distinct fighting styles for the film, as one of the ways to distinguish one from another.
The difference between the two styles may have only been truly noticeable to martial arts fans, but the subtle touches do help. Special effects weren’t quite as good at this point in time as they are now, but for the most part, the film creates a compelling illusion of two Jet Lis kicking the hell out of each other. That went a long way towards making the film work.
Jason Statham Shines — But So Does Everyone Else
The One was made so long ago that Jason Statham still had hair, and he was relegated to a supporting role. Statham and the recently Oscar-nominated Delroy Lindo played Evan Funsch and Harry Roedecker, respectively. They were a pair of Multiverse Authority agents tasked with bringing their former colleague, Yulaw, back to his original universe to face justice. They’re both very good in their roles, even though they don’t get as much to do as Li does.
Carla Gugino costars as Law’s wife, T.K. Law, as well as Yulaw’s lover, Massie Walsh. Gugino makes the most of her limited screen time, but one of the film’s biggest mistakes is that it doesn’t fully utilize her talents. Breaking Bad‘s Dean Norris has a much smaller supporting role as Sgt. Siegel, but the casting director for this film clearly had an eye for talent.
Although The One isn’t regarded as a classic in the genre, it’s still a lot of fun to revisit nearly 25 years after its release. So catch it while you can.
The One is streaming on Netflix.
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