The One - the Superbit Edition, on DVD

Jet Li is his own worst enemy in this nifty sci-fi/martial arts action flick.

It's a quantum theory-inspired parallel universe tale in which numerous universes co-exist, with different versions of each of us populating them. Earth may be in the dark about such a fact, but other universes are aware of the multiverse and can travel between them. Such travel is strictly controlled, however, and unauthorized use is a criminal offence.

Then along comes Yulaw (Li), a renegade cop from the Multiverse Bureau of Investigation. He has decided to become "the One," the only copy of himself in any universe, and he's zapping himself from space to space, brutally gunning down his other selves. Since there's an energy balance in the multiverse, with each killing Yulaw and the other surviving versions of the character get stronger and more powerful. Yulaw believes that if he can eliminate all his other selves he will become The One and his power will be Godlike.

Yulaw has killed more than 120 of his doppelgangers, and there's only one left: Gabe Law in the universe we all know and love so well. So he pops into Los Angeles to do the deed, followed closely by a pair of MBI agents charged with bringing him back to face justice in another universe.

What ensues is a series of stylized and choreographed fights between Li and his opponents and, thanks to Hollywood magic, Li and himself.

It's a neat story and an interesting concept and the writers/director have pulled it off quite well. Li is likable and believable in his dual role and he's backed up by a journeyman cast that includes Carla Gugino as his wife(s), with Delroy Lindo and Jason Statham as the agents sent to track down and bring back Yulaw.

The production values and special effects are first rate and what could otherwise have been a mindless martial arts romp or "Matrix" clone turns out to be a pretty nifty and imaginative story with characters you can believe in and root for.

The Superbit Edition DVD, not surprisingly, is also first rate. The original disck was no slouch, either, so when Columbia Tristar Home Video upped the audio and video ante the result is a truly stunning audio and video tour de force.

The anamorphic widescreen picture is about as sharp as you'll get short of HDTV, with vivid colors and razor sharp edges, and the dts and Dolby Digital 5.1 surround audio is also easily up to snuff, with great dynamics and good use of surround.

As usual with Superbit titles, you can forget about any extras, but that's okay: if you want the extras, the original DVD version of this movie is chock full of them. You can even get a (yucch!) Pan&Scan version on that disc.

The One, Special Edition DVD from Columbia Tristar Home Video
87 min. anamorphic widescreen (2.35:1), 16x9 TV compatible/Pan&Scan (4x3 TV compatible), Dolby Digital 5.1 surround.
Starring Jet Li, Delroy Lindo, Carla Gugino, Jason Statham
Produced by Glen Morgan, Steven Chasman
Written by Glen Morgan & James Wong, Directed by James Wong

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