The One

When sci-fi stops caring about credibility, it becomes why-fi.

The One does not talk of the universe, but the multiverse, meaning thousands of universes operating parallel existences simultaneously. This makes no sense, except that Jet Li can be a LA policeman, called Gabe, on one level and a galactic bad guy, called Yulaw, on another. When the two come together, it is confusing both for the audience and the law enforcement officers. Who Gabe? Who Yulaw? Who puncheeface?

What matters is not the story, but the fight sequences. The genre of martial arts spits out heroes like the Men In Black spit lead. Li is the latest. He is fast, he is small and he speaks English better than Jackie Chan. Watching him work is no burden on the eyes.

Delroy Lindo, who deserves better, and English-actor-pretending-to-be-American Jason Statham are space cops.They move between parallel universes in their search for Yulaw. What they intend to do is a bit more complicated. There is talk of a three-minute window and sending the prisoner away to the penal colony on Hades Universe.

Suddenly Lindo has changed into a worker at a gas station, who calls 911 when Li kicks part of the garage down and Statham drives off without paying. By this stage, the scriptwriters are into their 14th magic mushroom, as the plot ricochets between schizophrenia and plain stoopid.

Li fighting Li is the highlight. Two for the price of one? It is not a bargain.