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The One
The One sets a martial arts milestone by pitting action star Jet Li against his greatest enemy: himself. This sci-fi thriller establishes a "multiverse" consisting of countless parallel universes, each populated by variants of every individual. Li plays a renegade from the Multiverse Agency, illegally traveling through "quantum tunnels" to eliminate all versions of himself until only two remain, each sharing the cumulative strength of their "parallel universe versions." This mumbo-jumbo inspires a variety of dazzling special effects, and director James Wong (with cowriter and fellow X-Files alumnus Glen Morgan) injects clever humor into the Matrix-derivative premise. Carla Gugino is wasted as the "good" Li's obligatory love interest, but The One will appeal to action fans with its fast-paced pursuit between the evil Li and two agents (Delroy Lindo, Jason Statham) assigned to stop his trans-universal killing spree. It's a one-gimmick movie, best enjoyed with your brain in neutral. --Jeff Shannon Meltdown
Mild-mannered Jet Li is bodyguard and secret stunt double to Jackie Chan-like action-movie superstar Jacky Cheung in this action-packed spoof of the Hong Kong movie industry. Li, playing a former demolition squad commander haunted by the loss of his family, takes a job with the womanizing Cheung, an action hero with a reputation for performing all his own stunts. Li surreptitiously performs the most dangerous bits with quick-switch secrecy, but when a TV journalist catches sight of him sneaking from a spectacular fall they suspect an elaborate publicity conspiracy. The showbiz scandal becomes sidetracked when high-tech jewel thieves take them all hostage in a skyscraper heist that smacks of Die Hard. Li turns stealth fighter, stalking perimeter guards and taking out the heavily armed bad guys with a smooth display of acrobatic martial arts moves, while glory hound Cheung proves his own skills in a brave confrontation with the thieves. The swipes at Jackie Chan are mean-spirited and undeserved, but Cheung's manic, mugging performance is awfully funny (unlike much Hong Kong humor), and Li plays his usual moral backbone with quiet authority, impressive agility, and explosive fireworks. Meltdown is broadly played and Wong Jing directs bluntly, but the movie packs plenty of explosions, great martial arts work, and a driving sense of energy. --Sean Axmaker
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