The One (2001)

A rogue Multiverse agent goes on a manhunt for versions of himself, getting stronger with each kill. With only one version remaining, he races against the clock to finish him and become "The One."

Director:

James Wong

Writers:

Glen Morgan, James Wong

Stars:

Jet Li, Carla Gugino, Delroy Lindo

4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

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. ...

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Plot Keywords:

criminal | convicted criminal | law enforcement officer | multiverse agent | running from police | 

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Taglines:

In order to save the universe, he will have to fight the fiercest enemy he has ever faced...himself.

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Genres:

Action | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for intense action violence and some language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 November 2001 (USA)

Also Known As:

El único

Filming Locations:

Edison Generating Station, Redondo Beach, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$49,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$19,112,404, 4 November 2001

Gross USA:

$43,905,746

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$74,005,691

Company Credits

Production Co:

Revolution Studios, Hard Eight Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min 85 min (cut)

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The scenes involving Jet Li fighting himself were shot using Li and a stuntman with a build similar to his. The stuntman's face was painted green so that it could be digitally replaced with Li's face later.

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Goofs

In the first chase where the police of the Anubis Universe are chasing Yulaw, the first car goes under the partly raised garage door and hits its lights on it. The siren dies and the light and siren get broken off. When the car drives on, however, the top is sparking but the lights and siren are intact.

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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.

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Alternate Versions

German theatrical version was edited for violence to secure a "Not under 16" rating.

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Connections

Referenced in Watchman Video Broadcast: The Missing Piece (2012)

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Soundtracks

Sinner
Written by Dave Williams, Mike Luce, C.J. Pierce and Stevie Benton
Performed by Drowning Pool
Courtesy of Wind-up Entertainment, Inc.

User Reviews

Finally, an action movie with a plot

Jet Li has been able to come out with some good action movies like "Romeo Must Die", and "Kiss of the Dragon", but there is no doubt this has been his best movie so far. I absolutely love the plot for this movie. It's sci-fi, it's action, and above all it's pretty original. Jet Li is the best martial artist in the world. The actual fight scenes in Kiss of the Dragon may have been better, due to the fact little to no CGI's were used, but The One is a much better movie overall. What makes this movie work even more is the great selection of music. How can it get better than seeing Jet Li kick the not out of people while Drowning Pool's "Let the Bodies Hit the Floor" is playing in the background? Other artists in the movie include Disturbed, and Papa Roach so you can get a pretty good idea of what the fight scenes are like. This isn't a best picture, though I'm surprised it wasn't nominated for effects. But in an overall enjoyment grade, I'd say this was one of my five favorite movies of 2001.