One Shot was an engaging joint from
our friend Scott. There's a decent enough plot with
Scott and a CIA analyst (Ashley Greene) charged with bringing a detainee
from a black-site to Washington DC. Ryan Philippe walks
through the movie, attempting to act, but it's painful. Maybe no one
told them at this level budget, you gotta direct yourself. Much better
is Terrence Maynard as Ryan's freaked-out, right hand man. The team
runs into some trouble and have to get the detainee out in order to stop
a nuclear explosion, or something like that.
Unlike
a lot of DTV action flicks, One Shot will hold your attention with good
gun play and a "real-time" continuous shot gimmick as Scott and his
team kapow a bunch of baddies as they attempt to block the transfer of
prisoner played by Waleed Elgadi, another engaging actor. Director
James Nunn has apparently worked with Scott previously in 2016 on a
flick called Eliminators, a title so terrible the film must have been
saved from 1983. One Shot doesn't make any sense either, but anyways...
Working in the continuous shot, it seems like there's a lot of creativity to each scene. It's a relief from choppy editing that can be exhausting. Creative
conceits - maybe they're a good thing when you're on a budget! It
works, and while in some films, I might drift off for lack of true
excitement, this one kept me hoping the characters survive.
Scott?
Oh, yeah, he's here leading a SEAL team as they fight a zillion
mercenaries who've descended on the black site. Scott does his thing,
looking serious, and revealing no additional information to enrich his
character. Scott does not kick in this one, so beware! The baddies
menace appropriately and while the story doesn't seem deep, they are
uh... committed to their characters! Somebody tell Ryan Philippe to put
some sincerity into delivering mediocre lines.
I'm voting 3 roundhouse kicks out of 4 for One Shot. It was briefly in theaters here in Seattle; sorry I missed it! Caught it on Hulu.
WTF - produced by Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment. Thanks Chicken Soup, for the "next chapter in entertainment"!
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