Ryan Shoots First: One Shot
If there is a new Scott Adkins movie coming out you know Bulletproof Action is on the case. And anyone who has read my work knows I appreciate a good long tracking shot so this movie is a match made in heaven. One Shot is not just a fancy name; the entire movie is filmed in one continuous shot. If nothing else it is an interesting exercise in filmmaking to watch. To think all the action shots, the explosions and hails of gunfire all needs to be carefully plotted, implemented and executed in one instance. It is impressive in so many ways to pull something like this off. It is a testament to director James Nunn and the entire cast and crew to not only take on such a daunting challenge but to pull it off in an interesting and satisfying way.
The movie stars Adkins doing his best Solid Snake impersonation as Jake Harris. Seriously the movie gives off a lot of Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes vibes. The long shots of the black site prison camp and unnamed prisoners being tortured really took me back to that game. Then Adkins sneaking around and taking fools out had me wanting to see him in a cardboard box. I’m always impressed with Adkins range, his ability to cover over the top British punks, to quiet grizzled army vet to a Buzz Lightyear esque space Captain. Here he is bearded and badass as the best the Navy SEALS have to offer. He’s joined on screen by Ashley Greene from Twilight fame and Ryan Phillippe (The 2nd) who is starting to pop up more and more in the action universe. The film sees them attempting to survive an attack on a black site prison camp as they attempt to transfer a high value target back to DC. One of my favorite aspects of the film is the score… or lack thereof. It’s easy to fall back on swelling grand heroic music but One Shot settles for a very small bass constantly bumping in the background adding to the unease and tension on screen. It also lets the action and sounds seem more visceral and real when there is no sound as bodies hit the ground. It feels isolated and cold like the prison camp itself.
The dialogue can sometimes feel a little wooden but I have to imagine parts are improvised or just following a basic guideline as I can’t fathom how anyone would memorize that much for one solid take. The logistics of pulling something like this off had me so intrigued I would love to see a featurette on the making of the film. I just imagine an hour in a cameraman tripping as he’s walking backwards and the whole thing being done. The movie even attempts to take some shots at the radicalization that goes into one becoming a terrorist. Some from radicalization and some retaliation after having nothing left to live for. It also questions the effectiveness and such facilities and torture as a way of gathering intel. None of these themes are dove into to an extreme degree but I give them props for even posing the question to the viewer. The long shots really let us sit in these moments and think about what we’re seeing, especially a shot where a young terrorist is recruited to give his life for the cause.
Anyone pulling off a movie in one take is impressive but managing to build excitement and interest and inject a sense of style and purpose makes it more than just a novelty. The format enhances and adds to the story that otherwise would actually be pretty formulaic. I should not be surprised Scott Adkins would take a chance on something like this; he seems to enjoy taking on challenges that expand his abilities and One Shot certainly does that. Now I’m off to boot up my PlayStation and get into some Tactical Espionage Action.
