Hong Kong superstar Jet Li has wasted no time in making a name for himself here in United States. Since his debut in 1998's \Lethal Weapon 4,"" he has become the most sought-after martial arts star since Jackie Chan and has been snagging leading roles since.
His latest film, ""The One,"" is a fast-paced, energy-loaded, sci-fi/action extravaganza that truly exhibits Li's amazing abilities. The fight choreography and visual effects are unquestionably top-notch. Ultimately, though, that's all the film boils down to: a 90-minute action sequence. It crams so many kicks, bullets and special effects into such a small amount of time that your eyes will actually be tired when it is all over.
Worst of all, this is one of those movies that pits its protagonist against an evil version of himself. In his American films, Jet Li has played both hero (""Romeo Must Die"") and villain (""Lethal Weapon 4""), but in ""The One"" he regrettably takes on double duty.
The film is based on the theory of parallel universes. The evil Li travels between these different dimensions, killing his many alter egos. Each time one Jet Li dies, his life energy (or whatever you want to call it) is dispersed among the remaining Jet Lis. The evil Li hopes to achieve god-like strength when he becomes the last Li alive in any dimension.
The film is just as ridiculous as that synopsis sounds. Contributing to the list of woes is the performance of the movie's lead. Jet Li was much more effective in his ""Lethal"" role, which required very little dialogue. However, his struggles with English are not the main problem, as Jackie Chan has proven broken English can be endearing and successful. Li's problems instead lie with expression. His constant blank stare makes him seem more like a prop than an actor.
This same lack of emotion makes his ""dramatic"" scenes all the more painful to watch. People in the theater were actually laughing when the good Li awkwardly kisses his wife, and were giggling later when he mourns her death. Li more than proves his physical abilities, however. He actually mastered two different fighting styles to contrast his good and evil characters.
Sci-fi and action fans will love the amazing visual effects of ""The One"" and revel in its non-stop adrenaline-fueled pace. The yin and yang showdowns between the two Jet Li's are even handled masterfully, with no choppy editing or obvious body doubles. If you're looking for action, plain and simple, this is the film for you. But if it is quality writing and performances you seek, this is not ""the one"" to see.
""The Vertical Ray of the Sun"" is unlike anything currently playing in theaters. The film is very beautiful, very slow moving and very different. This is obviously a film that aspires toward art, not entertainment, but in doing so it falls short of reaching either one. The visual intensity alone is not enough to carry this film through. Yes, the Vietnamese director Tran Anh Hung transforms the screen into a surreally beautiful visual experience, showing a talent for precise and evocative cinematography, but it doesn't matter when the acting is forgettable and the plot is pretentious. The breathtakingly tedious pace of the plot leaves space for camera tricks, but fails to provide solid content and driving force.
The story follows the lives of three sisters and examines the issues of love and fidelity in male/female relationships in contemporary Vietnam. The film focuses on the importance of tradition and ritual in Vietnamese culture, especially in relation to family and future. The details of their relationships are unremarkable, and the film fails to provide any sense of closure. The final scene is supposed to suggest a kind of perfection in the world despite a lack of unresolved conflicts, but it doesn't work on film.
It is interesting to note that the music of Lou Reed is featured in this film. Every morning, the central couple wakes up to his music and playfully argues about who crawled into bed with the other the night before. They refer to each other as Big Brother and Little Sister, customary names married people use between each other, despite the fact that they have not been married yet.
Small facts and subtle rituals such as these characterize this film. The potential symbolic meaning of such events can be difficult to determine without a strong background in Vietnamese culture. In fact, this film would make a good introduction to a study in Vietnamese culture, but if you are looking to see a solid film, go see something else.
