One Shot - Scott Adkins, Ashley Greene, Ryan Phillipe (2021)

[DragonClaws]

 

Quote

In this intense, non-stop action-thriller, relentlessly filmed in a single continuous take, an elite squad of Navy SEALs on a covert mission to transport a prisoner off a CIA black site island prison is trapped when insurgents attack, trying to rescue the same prisoner. Led by Lieutenant Blake Harris (Adkins), the team, including Deputy Site Manager Tom Shields (Phillippe), must trust the secret intel of Junior Analyst Zoe Anderson (Greene) in order to deliver the prisoner and thwart a pending terrorist attack on Washington D.C.

source- https://cityonfire.com/

 

Edited October 12, 2021 by DragonClaws

[AlbertV]

I hope we get to see Phillippe throw down. He got to show some of his taekwondo moves in The 2nd. With a powerhouse like Adkins, maybe this could be the movie where we see Phillippe really get to strut his kicks. 

[Drunken Monk]

It seems like one-take scenes are turning into the new 3-D. On overused gimmick that will undoubtedly irk audiences after a while.

With that said, I’ll certainly watch this

[AlbertV]

I'll definitely see this. Bushwick (with Dave Bautista and Brittany Snow) was shot in a series of one-takes so it will be interesting to see this as one long take. 

[D1 Ma]

While I'm interested in another Adkins movie, I find it troubling that the main draw of the movie is a pointless gimmick.

I mean, when John Woo did it in HB, at least it showed great timing and skills by the whole crew.

At this time and age when digital editing allows you to do a fake "one-take" shot of any desired length, what's the point of this?

The only more annoying trick is making "first-person view" movies.

[laagi]

Is it just me or is everyone getting a hard-on with these supposed one shots atm. Anyway, I'm with y'all and will certainly check it out.

[AlbertV]

The movie is coming out in November. Screen Media Films will be releasing it and it's from the director of Eliminators and The Marine 5 & 6

https://action-flix.com/2021/09/20/one-shot-scott-adkins-announces-a-november-release-for-the-one-take-actioner-from-director-james-nunn/

Adkins, Tim Man (yup, he was action director), and Dan Styles on the set!

Edited September 20, 2021 by AlbertV

[Drunken Monk]

 

[laagi]

I don't know about this trailer. It certainly has all the ingredients of a B or dare I say C-Actioner. That's not to say it could end up being somewhat entertaining. At least once they run out of bullets

I'm not sure if one should feel sorry for Scott Adkins by now. He seems to be stuck in these kind of movies. I really hope he'll get enough exposure in John Wick 4.

That's not to say within his fanbase and the genre he certainly has achieved stardom.

[Ronin]

Very positive review from the Kung Fu Movie Guide:

http://kungfumovieguide.com/one-shot-2021/

[Drunken Monk]

Film Combat Syndicate also give it a glowing review…

https://filmcombatsyndicate.com/one-shot-review-unrelenting-military-action-from-scott-adkins/

[Drunken Monk]

A scathing review from The Playlist...

https://theplaylist.net/one-shot-review-20211105/

It seems that websites focused on action cinema like this one but your standard movie blogs don't. A testament to that is its 50% Rotten Tomatoes rating.

If my wife is in the mood, I think I might rent this one tonght.

[DrNgor]

9 minutes ago, Drunken Monk said:

It seems that websites focused on action cinema like this one but your standard movie blogs don't. A testament to that is its 50% Rotten Tomatoes rating.

Back '00 (or so) when Legend of the Drunken Master was released stateside, the Friday entertainment section/booklet of my city's newspaper had a review of it that gave it two out of four stars. The major criticisms (from a female reviewer) were the references to spousal abuse and the unrealistic fight scenes. By that time, I already had the Tai Seng subbed VHS, so I was aware of the film's greatness. But it just goes to show how little you can trust mainstream critics when it comes to genre films. They get it right sometimes, but yeah.

[Drunken Monk]

31 minutes ago, DrNgor said:

Back '00 (or so) when Legend of the Drunken Master was released stateside, the Friday entertainment section/booklet of my city's newspaper had a review of it that gave it two out of four stars. The major criticisms (from a female reviewer) were the references to spousal abuse and the unrealistic fight scenes. By that time, I already had the Tai Seng subbed VHS, so I was aware of the film's greatness. But it just goes to show how little you can trust mainstream critics when it comes to genre films. They get it right sometimes, but yeah.

Absolutely. As Method Man once said: “Opinions are like assholes. Everyone has one.”

While I peruse a movie website here and there, I tend to rely on my own opinions and very rarely go off what critics says. I will invest some trust in Martial arts cinema websites because they can at least be trusted to enjoy the genre. But, at the end of the day, critics are just everyday people. Their opinion is certainly no more important than anyone else’s.

[SamSeed]

I don't ever pay attention to critics. In fact this website is the only thing that can dissuade me from seeing a film if I read about shakycam or bad editing.

[One Armed Boxer]

Surprised that I seem to be the first to check this one out on the forums! I got through with it over the weekend, and gave it the full review treatment over at COF - 

https://cityonfire.com/one-shot-2021-review-james-nunn-scott-adkins-review-trailer-ashley-greene-ryan-phillippe/

[laagi]

Coming in second place, I guess. Thanks for your review @One Armed Boxer. Glad you've enjoyed it.

Unfortunately for me it didn't work. I didn't expect a martial arts actioner since it was already obvious this will rely heavily on gunplay. Which for the first few kills is somewhat entertaining but after what appears to be a countless repetition of the same thing just ends up being boring.

That's my biggest complaint with this movie, i never felt any sense of thrill or excitment. Which for an actioner is pretty much the worst thing to happen. There is two major (hand to hand) fight scenes with both ending rather abrupt. Also the camera for my taste is too close to the action and they did add a bit of shaky cam to it. Not nearly as bad as in some of the bourne movies but it still felt a bit distracting.

The story is probably the only thing I thought was worthwhile. It's very simple but yet somewhat effective as far as the unfolding of the action goes. Performances for the most part were surprisingly good. With the exception of our main villain (Jess Liaudin) which felt more like a bad caricature than anything else.

From a technical standpoint of view. I'm really not a big fan of these "one shot" movies. I'm sure all the work and effort that goes into it are tremendous and for that alone they deserve all the credit they can get.

Overall I felt like watching a COD mission on twitch. With all the love I have for Scott Adkins and these kind of movies, it simply failed to spark an interest in me. So that's probably why even for 95 minutes to me it felt way too long.

Edited November 9, 2021 by laagi

[D1 Ma]

I think, watching this movie I felt sorry for Adkins for the first time. The movie looked  like it was shot on a half of a shoestring budget. It's not even a B-movie, it's a C or even D-movie

 The fake "one shot" gimmick actually ruined the movie. Every time when the characters had to go from one point to the next, instead of a quick cut,  we had to watch every step they take, either crossing the field or walking along a corridor . Watching dialogues when camera kept rotating from one person to another made my head spin. It was like I was getting seasick

 Most importantly, it totally killed the action whatever little there was in the movie.

Over the years filmmakers developed different ways to make action more exciting, like using more than one camera, different angles, editing tricks, etc. In this movie the main gimmick actually limited directors choices. The shootouts and a couple of fights looked bland and boring.

The final twist picked my interest a bit, but didn't save the movie.

 

( also, it bothered me a lot when seasoned soldiers didn't properly used cover, sticking their heads and upper body over concrete blocks. Another thing - using empty barrels and crates for cover. Reminded me of Donnie Yen directed movies when guys in a small room were hiding behind couches from a machine gun fire 10 feet apart)

[laagi]

16 hours ago, D1 Ma said:

The fake "one shot" gimmick actually ruined the movie. Every time when the characters had to go from one point to the next, instead of a quick cut,  we had to watch every step they take, either crossing the field or walking along a corridor . Watching dialogues when camera kept rotating from one person to another made my head spin. It was like I was getting seasick

Most importantly, it totally killed the action whatever little there was in the movie.

Over the years filmmakers developed different ways to make action more exciting, like using more than one camera, different angles, editing tricks, etc. In this movie the main gimmick actually limited directors choices. The shootouts and a couple of fights looked bland and boring.

Very well written. I totally agree. This one shot gimmick should have made everything exhilarating. As you're "part" of the action. However it basically ruined the movie for me as well. I'd be curious how it would've worked without it...

[KUNG FU BOB]

On 11/8/2021 at 5:40 PM, D1 Ma said:

( also, it bothered me a lot when seasoned soldiers didn't properly used cover, sticking their heads and upper body over concrete blocks. Another thing - using empty barrels and crates for cover. Reminded me of Donnie Yen directed movies when guys in a small room were hiding behind couches from a machine gun fire 10 feet apart)

Okay, I watched this with my son and we were both pleasantly surprised by how good it is. The filmmakers and performers really put a ton of work into this, and it shows. They pull off some impressive stuff with makeup effects, fight choreography, and staging. It occasionally feels a bit "Golan Globus" (budget constraints show), but for the most part, it's well-acted, and the soldiers behave in fairly realistic ways (there's still some "are you kidding me?" moments where people do things that a civilian likely wouldn't do, let alone a SEAL soldier). Scott is totally committed to the role (as usual) and gives it his all. I also dug that the lone female character didn't wind up being an action movie cliche "lady in distress". In addition, the story manages to get you somewhat emotionally involved in the characters, and there are some genuinely suspenseful sequences. Don't expect Adkins to do any of his acrobatic kicking; his character is a Navy SEAL and fights in a manner befitting him. That being said, once ammo runs low there's a fair amount of hand-to-hand and knife fighting which did not disappoint. Brutal and believable combat would be appreciated from a normal genre flick, but holy hell is it surprising and welcome from a film shot without cuts! We rented the film, but we'll also each be purchasing the Blu-ray in a few weeks. It'll be a welcome addition to our Scott Adkins physical media collections.

@D1 Ma I laughed when you referred to "the couch gun battle" from BALLISTIC KISS (1998). The film has some cool moments, but it's drowning in the syrup of Donnie Yen's "look-how-cool-I-am" ego trip in his second film as director. I know he blamed that shootout on an extremely tight budget, but... once he realized the reality of the situation he should have adjusted to it. This scene plays like a clueless parody of the genre.

[Drunken Monk]

I rented this one this afternoon and absolutely loved it. In fact, I’d go as far as to say it’s one of Adkins’ best movies. Maybe not performance wise but for sheer entertainment.

The “single take” gimmick really worked for me. As we follow our characters, it usually gives the audience a small breather from the action. I like that. I like that all hell breaks loose but it finds time to compose itself. And speaking of the action, this film may have no budget but it feels like they used every penny of that budget. The shootouts are fantastic and the hand to hand stuff is tense and brutal. I also love just how much action there is. A shitload.

I also like the emotional beats. I won’t spoil anything here but there are some really dramatic moments in this film. One even includes a “bad guy.” Yes, most of the film is showered in a hail of bullets but these little moments are a breath of fresh air. 

This one might not please martial arts fans like Ninja: Shadow of a Tear but action fans are in for a treat. I’d certainly take this one over the likes of Boyka: Undisputed and Triple Threat.

[ShaOW!linDude]

Watched this last night, and I essentially mimic the comments of @Drunken Monk. As a single take gimmick for a film, this one executes it well. The plot isn't weighed down with backstory. It takes off quickly and keeps the momentum. There is a really neat plot twist, too, that caught me off guard.

Tons of action, mainly gunplay, but some brutal knife fighting. There's really only 3 hand to hand fights. They're short, brutal and grounded, and kept fairly realistic. Don't expect any of Adkins' beautiful bootwork here. However, as good as this is, unlike DM, I like seeing Adkins' martial skill set on full display. Gimme Boyka or one of the Ninja flicks.

[Cognoscente]

On 11/9/2021 at 3:11 PM, laagi said:

This one shot gimmick should have made everything exhilarating. As you're "part" of the action. However it basically ruined the movie for me as well. I'd be curious how it would've worked without it...

The director should do a martial arts version of Peep Show where everything is shot in alternating POV shots.

[Ronin]

This is now on Hulu. Watched it the other night and thought it was excellent.

[ChillyChong]

Somewhere is island Guantamo III and among prisoners is a man who has knowledge of bomb in Washington. Cia agent arrives there to get that information along her are some seals commanded by Scott Adkins. Coincidently terrorists are also interested of man and hell breaks loose.

Very low level scripting here, and action is boring. Mercenaries+prisoners appear from behind corner and seals gun them down, sometimes getting bullets themselves too. 2 minor fight scenes, Scott does not deliver any kicks, it is just punches and grabs. Most notable moment is when one of bad guys is told to wear explosion vest and comrades encourages him, say beautiful women are waiting in paradise his name will be glorified etc this is surely first time in movie I have seen islamist is actually scared shitless and about to cry when facing sure death.

2/5, was not exactly yawning but there are zero reason for revisiting it ever.