Reviewed By-Paul Cooke
Directed By-James Wong
Scripted By-Glen Morgan & James Wong
Cast-Jet Li , Carla Gugino , Jason Statham , Delroy Lindo ,
James Morrison , Dylan Bruno & Richard Steinmetz

Caught in the mind maelstrom of derivative DVD deluge when it comes to selecting something to kick back and unwind with but nothing grabs your attention ? , so you nestle down with an old favourite that you can rely upon to rekindle the filmmake flame that sparks the furnace within !. Hey old school coeds flip that frown upside down , turn the car radio disc dial to rock mode and drive with purpose to the nearest rental store and load up that rent one free one card with classic favourites , ‘ Terminator ’ , ‘ Highlander ’ , ‘ The Matrix ’ , ‘ Time Cop ’ and give the neighbours a free nights entertainment to boot as they huddle together playing the guess the film game as you let rip through the surround sound system. The alternative investment budget plan is to get the thrown in effect of an amalgamated conglomeration of all the above by getting yourselves the all singing all dancing shiny disc performer known as ‘ The One ’. Laced with an in built adrenalin rush that is guaranteed to entertain even the most jaded of seen it before brigade , provided that the appreciation factor is tuned to reality mode in accepting that what is delightfully playing out across the screen is a full blown unashamed pageant of plagiarism , what we have is star Jet Li doing what he does best , displaying all his naturally gifted abilities in a big budget ballet of ‘B’ movie brilliance.

In time honoured tradition a big studio , in this case Columbia Pictures , once in a while goes pre Olympic , delivering a pantheon of hard working talent that allows for the films budget to shine upon the screen rather than dazzle in the reflective limelight of Hollywood Drive , to readdress the book balance before stumbling head first once more into the following years ‘ Ishtar ’ project. The multi talented Jet Li plays a multitude of characters that all have one thing in common , they are all alternate variants of the same person existing in parallel worlds that make up the constitution , for what is recognized by the foremost advanced planetary civilization as Multi Verses , of the universe. The movie starts at an electric pace that immediately introduces Jet Li’s bad guy persona Yulaw , taking the life of his alternative universe carbon self in his quest to eliminate all duplicate life forms that carry the same genetic code furthering his megalomaniacal quest to become , The One. As each Human counterpart is killed the life energy shifts between the surviving gene carriers infusing great strength within Yulaw particularly , due to his awareness of the effectiveness of his quest above those that go about their ordinary daily lives blissfully unaware. Hot on the trail of Yulaw are two Multi Verse Agents who strive to bring him to custody as the unknown factor of killing him is a risk they dare not take for the balance of all existence may be destroyed. When police officer Gabe , good guy persona Jet Li , is targeted as the last remaining obstacle by Yulaw , this already fast paced science fiction outing steps up another notch and the cleverly stylised individual fighting techniques are displayed for all Jet Li fans to marvel at as the two clash , one battling to survive and the other striking out for supremacy.

The ordinary world of Gabe is thrown into turmoil as his identical twin Yulaw deceives his friends and wife but with the clever assistance of surviving Multi Verse Agent Funsch , as played with supporting side kick relish by Jason Statham , the up and coming British actor and co star of ‘ Lock , Stock And Two Smoking Barrels ’ and John Carpenter’s ‘ Ghost’s Of Mars ’ he becomes self aware of his own enhanced abilities leading him to the final showdown for the single right to survive autonomously. The route one journey from start to finish is competently handled by Director James Wong , much in the same entertaining fashion with which he applied his trade to the equally enjoyable ‘ Final Destination ’. It is with the noticeable addition to the film making team of fight choreographer and Director Corey Yuen that really pumps this annihilistic extrication of live comic book styled , hot cauterised action forward in its titular quest , as the after burn leaves a lasting flair of cornea cornucopia. Enhanced use of special effects are colourfully handled and complement rather than dictate proceedings , as moments of inter universe travel cleverly disseminates the human form , ripping them apart like pieces of a puzzle with a glossy irony and goose bumping moment , best described as the non tax payers envisaged version of the Star Trek trademark of being beamed up. This mode of transportation sure ain’t no Scotty helm but good old Hong Kong phooey ‘Klingon’ style.

The fun factor is also evident with many subtle moments of gloriously down played wit on display , such as a scene where the pumped up Yulaw knocks two police officers off their motor cycles as they speed towards him only to hit them ‘Matrix’ style in mid air , followed incredibly by using the bikes themselves to further hit the stunned keepers of the peace like flies as he literally becomes a one man Swat team. Super charged and able to dodge bullets in a single bend this Superman Jet Li is great fun to behold in either version of himself , and it is his presence on screen that makes the unbelievable so joyously palatable , and with original choice WWF superstar The Rock unable to commit to the project it appears with more than a passing coincidence to the ‘Highlander’ lore that Connor McCleod was mistaken in believing that there can be only One.

Do make sure that you stick around at the end of the movie for a slam bang epic epilogue that not only courts ‘ Judge Dredd ’ but kicks major rear ‘ Mortal Kombat ’ style , accompanied by the necessarily requisite Dolby Dynamic dance anthems pounding out across the credits. Is this truly ‘ The One ’ ? , well if Jet Li isn’t around for a sequel then maybe this time The Rock may aptly phrase , ‘ Just bring it ’.

Presentation : Widescreen Aspect Ratio 2:35:1
Release : Columbia Tristar
Coding : NTSC Region One
Sound : Dolby Digital 5.1 / Stereo 2.0
Extras : Director & Crew Commentary / Animatic Comparison / Trailers
Making Of Featurettes / Filmographies