Film

The One

Name: The One
Genre: Action, Science Fiction, Thriller
Released: 2001
Cast: Jet Li, Carla Gugino, Delroy Lindo, Jason Statham, James Morrison

Other titles called The One: the 2021 series (Netflix).

A sheriff's deputy discovers that across infinite parallel universes, there's another version of himself—and that version is a superpowered killer hunting down his alternates to absorb their strength. It's a high-concept action film that swings for the fences with multiverse mythology and kung-fu spectacle, best enjoyed if you're willing to meet it halfway on its own delirious logic.

TMDb rating

3.1

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you want a lean, fast martial-arts picture where the fighting does the storytelling, and a multiverse idea gets pared down to one hunt between two faces of the same man.

Skip it if you need tight plotting and a lot of mythology; this is loud, thin on explanation, and quick to brush past the logic in favour of another fight.

What it asks of you: Ninety minutes of brisk, mostly humourless momentum; you'll be carried by the pace rather than asked to puzzle much, and the darkness stays flat rather than deep.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

The Matrix1999

The Wachowskis' revolution in action cinema, with philosophical depth and visual innovation that proved blockbusters could be genuinely strange. Essential viewing.

But The sequels didn't sustain it, and the original's cultural moment has faded into ubiquity. Some find the messaging heavy-handed now.

Equilibrium2002

Gun-fu in a totalitarian future, with Christian Bale committing fully to a concept as audacious and silly as The One's. Stylish action cinema that doesn't apologize for its absurdity.

But The dialogue can feel strained and the emotional beats don't always land. It's more fun than moving, which isn't what everyone wants.

Unbreakable2000

M. Night Shyamalan's meditation on superhero mythology through a grounded, noir lens. A superhero film that feels inevitable and tragic rather than triumphant.

But It's slow and deliberate, more interested in what powers mean psychologically than in spectacle. That patient approach isn't for action lovers wanting constant movement.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from The One

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Paprika2006

Both films use the multiverse concept to explore identity and selfhood, though Kon goes abstract and psychological where The One goes concrete and visceral.

Satoshi Kon's animated film about parallel worlds bleeding into each other shares The One's fascination with infinite selves and identity fragmentation, but pursues it through dream logic and visual surrealism instead of action. It's meditative where The One is kinetic, but both are asking: what happens when there are multiple versions of you?

But It's deliberately disorienting and non-linear. If you watch it expecting narrative clarity or character arcs, you'll feel frustrated rather than dazzled.

xXx2002

Vin Diesel as an extreme-sports spy in an action film that doubles down on style over substance. Pure fun, with inventive set pieces and an infectious energy.

But The plot is nonsensical and the dialogue can be cringe. It's not trying to be smart, which some viewers find insulting rather than liberating.

Blade1998

Wesley Snipes as a vampire hunter in a film that merged superhero mythology with blaxploitation style. Genuinely cool action design and a charismatic lead carrying something bigger than the script.

But The CGI hasn't aged well and the late-90s aesthetic can feel dated. Some of the supporting performances are thin.

Judge Dredd1995

Stallone in a Verhoeven-adjacent sci-fi action film that's visually ambitious and doesn't take itself seriously. Camp without being stupid about it.

But The tone is wildly uneven and the plot gets lost under the production design. It's a mess, though an entertaining one.

Predator 21990

John McTiernan's follow-up brings the Predator to LA with practical creature design and stunt work that's genuinely impressive. Danny Glover is committed and the action is inventive.

But It trades the first film's claustrophobic suspense for scattered action and bloat. The story feels like scaffolding for set pieces rather than the reverse.

Double Impact1991

Jean-Claude Van Damme as twins with opposing personalities in a revenge thriller. Splits the difference between martial arts cinema and action melodrama with genuine heart underneath.

But The dialogue is clunky and the emotional stakes feel threadbare. It asks you to care about plot mechanics that don't quite hold up.

Cyborg1989

Jean-Claude Van Damme in a post-apocalyptic action film shot as fever dream. Albert Pyun's direction is weird and committed, and the action has a scrappy, improvised quality that's oddly charming.

But The budget constraints are obvious, the story is thin, and it doesn't quite justify its own existence. It's more interesting as a curiosity than as entertainment.

Tusk2014

Both pit a protagonist against a twisted reflection of himself and commit fully to an insane premise without winking at the audience.

Kevin Smith's body-horror body-swap film is utterly deranged—a man surgically transformed into a walrus by a madman. It shares The One's willingness to chase a premise to its logical extreme without flinching, and both films have a kind of earnest gonzo energy.

But It's grotesque, uncomfortable, and deliberately antagonistic toward good taste. If you need your cinema palatable, this will make you angry rather than entertained.

Timecrimes2007

Both use self-duplication as a narrative engine and explore what happens morally when you meet yourself as an enemy.

A Spanish sci-fi thriller about a man encountering multiple versions of himself across a single afternoon. It's a locked-room puzzle that does with time travel what The One does with parallel universes—uses the concept as architecture for paranoia and moral collapse.

But It's slow-burn and cerebral, with minimal action and no spectacle. The payoff requires attention and rewards rewatch, but doesn't satisfy on first viewing for some.