"THE ONE"
(2001) (Jet Li, Delroy Lindo) (PG-13)

Alcohol/ Drugs	Blood/Gore	Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude	Frightening/ Tense Scenes	Guns/ Weapons
None	Moderate	Extreme	*Mild	Extreme
Imitative Behavior	Jump Scenes	Music (Scary/Tense)	Music (Inappropriate)	Profanity
Mild	None	Heavy	None	Moderate
Sex/ Nudity	Smoking	Tense Family Scenes	Topics To Talk About	Violence
Mild	None	Mild	Mild	Extreme

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QUICK TAKE:

Sci-fi/Action: A cop battles another version of himself who's arrived from an alternate, parallel universe to kill him.

PLOT:

In what's known as the multiverse, parallel universes exist where multiple versions of the same person live in each of them, unaware of the others' existence. That is, except for Gabriel Yulaw (JET LI) and a group of agents who are after him. It seems that Yulaw, a former agent himself, is traveling to all of the alternate universes, killing the other versions of himself and thus absorbing their power. With the body count up to 123, Yulaw needs to kill just one last version before acquiring ultimate power.

Since both murder and travel to alternate universes are illegal, Yulaw is a wanted man and his capture now lies in the hands of agents Harry Roedecker (DELROY LINDO) and Evan Funsch (JASON STATHAM) who know they can't kill him lest his one remaining alternate self, Gabe Yulaw (JET LI), attain that power.

Accordingly, Roedecker and Funsch arrive in our world where Gabe is an L.A. cop living with his veterinarian wife, T.K. (CARLA GUGINO). From that point on and as the two men try to stop Yulaw, Gabe does what he must to protect himself from his doppelganger's various attempts on his life.

WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?

If they're fans of Li, anyone else in the cast, or martial arts and/or sci-fi films, they just might.

WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13

For intense action violence and some language.

CAST AS ROLE MODELS:

JET LI plays both a former agent who's gone bad and is killing other versions of himself in alternate universes to attain ultimate power, as well as an L.A. cop who's the last on the other's list and must battle his double.

DELROY LINDO plays an agent who's been trying to apprehend Yulaw for the past two years.

JASON STATHAM plays a rough around the edges man hired by the agency to apprehend Yulaw. He uses some profanity.

CARLA GUGINO plays Gabe's wife who tries to help him while figuring out what's going on.

CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO

HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE

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Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit?
Then read OUR TAKE of this film.

(Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below).

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OUR WORD TO PARENTS:

The following is a quick look at the content found in this action-based, sci-fi film that's been rated PG-13. A great deal of violence is present, although most (but not all) of it's blood-free and shot/presented in something of a video game fashion. Accordingly, there's all sorts of martial arts fighting (kicking, punching, etc.) as well as gunfire where many people are shot and wounded or killed. Other lethal and non-lethal violence, including some explosions, is present.

A few of those scenes do have bloody results, they and other moments could be unsettling or suspenseful to some sensitive viewers, and some kids could want to imitate all of the fighting and martial arts action. A few characters have extreme cases of bad attitudes.

Profanity consists of at least 10 uses of the "s" word, while a handful of other expletives and a few colorful phrases are also used. Some non-graphic, sexually related comments are made, while a woman is briefly seen in a somewhat revealing dress. Should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone in your home, we suggest that you take a closer look at our detailed content listings for more specific information about what's present in the film.

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ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE

None.

BLOOD/GORE

We see a small pool of blood on the floor next to a man's head after he's been shot.

Roedecker's head is very bloody after fighting Yulaw.

We see a little bit of blood from a cop's mouth after he's been hit by two motorcycles.

T.K. finds some blood on a bar of soap and a tiny bit in a sink.

We see some blood next to a woman who's just been shot.

DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE

Yulaw has killed 123 other versions of himself in parallel universes and wants to kill Gabriel so that he can attain ultimate power.

A miscellaneous woman helps Yulaw escape.

FRIGHTENING SCENES

Some of the action and scenes listed under "Violence" may be unsettling or suspenseful to some more sensitive viewers, but it's played out in such a video game fashion that little of it comes off as realistic.

Those sensitive about injured animals might not like scenes where a bomb-equipped rat is detonated as a destructive decoy to let someone escape and another one where a dog is injured after apparently being hit by a vehicle.

GUNS/WEAPONS

Handguns/Machine Guns/Knives/Explosives: Used to threaten, wound or kill others. See "Violence" for details.

IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR

Phrases: "Piece of sh*t," "Bullsh*t," "Who the hell is this?" "Sucks," "Big ass," "Freak," "Nut" (crazy person) and "I'm nobody's bitch" (what Yulaw says to other inmates).

Some kids might want to imitate all of the fighting and martial arts moves and action that occurs during the film.

JUMP SCENES

None.

MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE)

A heavy amount of suspenseful and action-oriented, dramatic music plays in the film.

MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE)

None that we heard, although some songs had lyrics that couldn't be understood (thus offering the possibility of containing potentially objectionable material).

PROFANITY

At least 10 "s" words, 3 asses (2 used with "hole"), 1 hell, 1 S.O.B., and 1 use each of "G-damn," "For Christ's sakes" and "Oh my God" as exclamations.

SEX/NUDITY

A woman shows some cleavage as well as a great deal of thigh in her revealing dress (with a high slit on it).

As a nurse asks T.K. about various things Gabe might have in his body (before doing an MRI scan), she asks if he has a penal implant (T.K. says he doesn't).

Two miscellaneous men talk about a miscellaneous woman, with one saying that she's not into guys and that the "girl-girl" stuff gets old. The other then asks something that sounded like "Why don't you grab one of those "big ass she-male" somethings (we didn't catch the last word).

Yulaw says, "I'm nobody's bitch" after another inmate states that the new prisoner has "a pretty mouth."

SMOKING

None.

TENSE FAMILY SCENES

A man sees his wife be murdered, but has little time to grieve (as he sets out to kill the assailant).

TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT

The concept of there being alternate, parallel universes where other versions of people here exist in their own worlds.

VIOLENCE

As police escort a man from his prison cell, another inmate throws a knife at him, and it impales his or another person's armored chest plate. In return, the first man kicks at the second, bending the metal cell bars.

Once out in the parking garage, Yulaw fires a shot that hits and kills the first man (we see a bullet hole in his helmet visor and some blood on the floor next to his head) and a gun battle then breaks out between the police and the assassin who's located somewhere in the ventilation system (that they riddle with bullets). Yulaw's hand then bursts through the metal and shoots several more people (who are wounded or killed). Yulaw then comes out and fights with the police officers who shoot at him. He tosses them into the air and then kicks them in midair (all presented in a very nonrealistic, "The Matrix" style fashion). He then shoots an officer who shoots at him.

As he then flees down the road, Yulaw shoots at the police who are pursuing him. During the chase, various vehicles crash into each other.

Yulaw shoots at Roedecker and Funsch, the latter of whom shoots back at him. As Funsch approaches Yulaw, he kicks a menacing dog that approaches him from the other side of a fence (we hear it squeal).

Funsch then holds his gun on Yulaw until Roedecker suddenly bursts through the side of building, hitting Yulaw with the truck he's now driving.

Yulaw punches and dents a wall.

An accomplice of Yulaw's lets a small bomb-equipped rat loose in a building. She then detonates it, causing a huge explosion that knocks many people down and shatters a large glass panel. Yulaw then hits and shoots several people (but we don't know if they're dead or just injured).

Gabe and other police officers escort a prisoner in a scene nearly identical to the one above. During it, another inmate throws a knife at the escorted man, but Gabe catches it. Yulaw then opens fire on the police in the parking garage and they riddle the ventilation shaft he's in with bullets. He then shoots a few of them with his handgun. Gabe then drives a police van back into the shaft, knocking it and Yulaw from the ceiling. During the ensuing chase, more vehicles crash into each other as Yulaw shoots at various officers, including Gabe, who he hits in the chest (but he's fine).

Yulaw holds a gun on a medical technician and Roedecker and Funsch then hold their guns on him. A gun battle then breaks out with Yulaw ducking from their bullets (in slow motion fashion like in "The Matrix"). During this, Roedecker elbows another person to keep them quiet (by knocking them out).

Gabe kicks Yulaw several times.

Yulaw shoots a cop/security guard dead.

Thinking Gabe was responsible for the above, various cops/guards hold their guns on him. He then escapes after hitting and pushing them around.

Gabe kicks Funsch partially over an overhang, holding a gun on him, hoping to get information from him.

Roedecker holds a gun to Yulaw who then swerves the vehicle he's driving, thus tossing Roedecker around inside it. Roedecker then repeatedly hits Yulaw with a fire extinguisher, and then repeatedly kicks and hits him. The two then fight each other with Yulaw eventually kicking him backwards and Roedecker's head is very bloody. He then tries to set off some sort of futuristic hand grenade, but Yulaw stops him.

It sounds like a man breaks another man's neck.

Funsch prepares to shoot and kill Gabe, but can't make himself do it.

Yulaw grabs two motorcycles, sending the officers on them flying through the air where he then kicks them. He then picks up a bike and uses it to hit one officer and then another, and then grabs both and crushes another cop between them.

Yulaw shoots and wounds/kills an officer, and then holds his arm around a woman's neck. He then shoots and kills her, and then jumps through a window, breaking the glass.

Gabe purposefully kicks a large, metal light pole, sending it crashing to the ground.

Funsch fires several shots at Yulaw.

Yulaw actives a futuristic hand grenade that then explodes and destroys part of a boiler room. Moments later, he then repeatedly hits and kicks Funsch.

Yulaw and Gabe get into a big martial arts based fight where many punches and kicks are thrown and delivered (in a mode often resembling that of video game violence). During this, Yulaw comes at Gabe with an ax, but Funsch shoots something that's leaking in the boiler room, causing an explosion that sends Yulaw flying through the air. More things then explode in the boiler room as the fighting continues.

A dog is slightly injured after being hit by a car (not explicitly seen).

Yulaw fights many men who keep coming at him (with punches and kicks, etc.).

Reviewed October 29, 2001 / Posted November 2, 2001

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