The One (film)

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The One
Directed by James Wong
Starring Jet Li
Release date(s) November 2, 2001
Running time 95 minutes
Language English
Budget $20 million

The One was an action movie released in 2001, starring Jet Li and Carla Gugino. The movie was later made into a video game. Originally the film was to have starred The Rock, before Li assumed the lead role.

Contents

[edit] Plot outline

A superhuman criminal named Gabriel Yu-Law (Jet Li), once a member of the organization policing interdimensional travel (via detecting wormhole openings, which can be predicted like the weather), seeks to hunt down and kill variations of himself in alternate universes to absorb a common life force (which possibly has to do something with the string theory as it was mentioned in the movie by Evan Funsch) that connects them all. By killing his other selves, and absorbing their power, he wishes to become a god.

The only one who can stop him is the last of his alternate selves (MVC: MultiVerse Counterpart), Gabriel Law, who works in the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department in a near-image of our own universe (George W. Bush remained President, but had some policy differences such as a "Universal Health Care Plan") and, prior to the events of the movie, was unaware of the multiverse. Law is assisted by a member of the Multiverse Authority that Yu-Law once worked for, with the concern that if one or the other versions survive, there would be catastrophic results for the multiverse.

[edit] Background Information

As part of the promotion for the movie, there was an official website for the fictional Multiverse Authority called the "MVA Mainframe". Although the site is now defunct, it provided detailed background material on the storyline and some of the characters, including some that were not in the film. Below is the information from the site.

[edit] History of the Multiverse Authority (MVA)

The MVA was created in the "Alpha Universe." A prominent U.S. Senator and member of the Senate Parallel Universe Technology Committee named Marcos Rodríguez championed the original Quantum Tunneling Research Project and was instrumental in raising the necessary funds. However, shortly after the first successful Quantum Tunnel jump, Rodríguez was indicted on charges of campaign finance fraud and accepting kickbacks from government contractors. Before he could be brought to trial, Rodríguez was able to access the prototype Quantum Tunneling Device and jump into the "Beta Universe." Due to the infancy of the technology, by the time he could be tracked, Rodríguez had already arranged the death of his Beta Universe "parallel universe version," also a U.S. Senator and had assumed his position.

A former Texas Border Patrol agent named Kyle Browning was hired to head security for the Quantum Tunneling Project and accompanied researchers on many of the first jumps. When one of the researchers made an unauthorized jump to escape from a tax fraud scandal, Kyle Browning successfully retrieved her.

The MVA was formed to address the problems of the new technology and the criminals who were abusing it. Kyle Browning was made Head Field Agent and set in place many of the practices and procedures still used in the tracking and apprehension of criminals in other universes. He also coined the term "parallel universe retrieval," meaning not just the capture of criminals, but the act of escorting them back to the Alpha Universe for trial.

Some time after its creation, the MVA appealed to all major technology producing Alpha Universe countries to contribute personnel and resources to the growing organization.

The MVA's basic mission is to prevent Quantum Tunneling from becoming a tool of crime and to apprehend all those who use it to escape justice and/or alter the affairs of parallel universes.

Field agents of the MVA are divided into two interrelated groups. One group specializes in simple retrievals of Alpha Universe criminals who have used Quantum Tunneling to escape to another universe. The other group tracks criminals who commit "inter-universal crimes" such as smuggling or the termination of one's parallel universe versions.

[edit] Inspiration

The One was inspired by a earlier TV show called Sliders. The One has doubles, alternate worlds, and almost everything else Sliders had.

[edit] MVA Personnel and Agents

  • Special Agent Harry Roedecker
Age: 54
Authorization: Level 5
Pre-Agency: Harry Roedecker is a former United States Secret Service agent. Roedecker resigned after being forced to accept blame for the assassination of the Secretary of State. He immediately applied to the MVA.
Agency Record: Despite being one of the most highly decorated field agents in MVA history, Roedecker has been unable to apprehend Major Violator Gabriel Yu-Law, his former partner. Roedecker and Yu-Law were partners for more than six years and responsible for over fifty Parallel Universe Retrievals. After an unsuccessful attempt to apprehend Violator Andrew Harris, Yu-Law became obsessed with Harris' increased physical abilities. Roedecker failed to notice this or the fact that Yu-Law began terminating his Parallel Universe Versions while they were on field missions. By the time Roedecker learned about Yu-Law's activities from Agent Grant, he had already become too powerful to apprehend.
Bio: Psyche reports indicate that Roedecker assumes blame for the transformation of his former partner, Gabriel Yu-Law, from a decorated MVA Agent to a Major Violator. Roedecker has had little success since Yu-Law left the agency.
  • Evan Funsch
Age: 28
Authorization: Level 3
Pre-Agency: Evan Funsch was a Beta Universe LAPD Vice Cop in the prestigious Rampart Division when he was approached by MVA Agents to assist in the apprehension of Marcos Rodríguez. Though the mission was unsuccessful, Funsch demonstrated an extensive knowledge of Beta Universe's sophisticated underworld and was recruited by the MVA to help track several Violators believed to be hiding in the Beta Universe. Funsch is only the third non-Alpha Universe native to be recruited.
Agency Record: Funsch has recorded six successful Retrievals in the past five months, despite poor Intelligence and Aptitude Scores. He had been stationed as a permanent Beta Universe Field Agent, but was recently removed from that assignment and appointed to assist Agent Harry Roedecker in the apprehension of Major Violator Gabriel Yu-Law. Funsch was hand-picked by Roedecker due to his resourcefulness and high level of success. He was also promoted to Level 3.
Bio: Evan Funsch grew up in the tough Beverly Hills section of Los Angeles. A former college football star, he was drafted by the Oakland Cowboys but got injured before his rookie season. He enjoys restoring classic cars and fishing in the pristine Los Angeles River.
  • Chief of Operations Kyle Browning
Age: 62
Authorization: Level 8
Pre-Agency: A former Texas Border Patrol agent, Kyle Browning was hired to head security for the original Quantum Tunneling Project and accompanied researchers on many of the first jumps. When one of the researchers made an unauthorized jump to escape from a tax fraud scandal, Kyle Browning successfully retrieved her.
Agency Record: When the MVA was formed to address the problems of the new technology and the criminals who were abusing it, Browning was made Head Field Agent and set in place many of the practices and procedures still used in the tracking and apprehension of criminals in other universes. He also coined the term "Parallel Universe Retrieval", meaning not just the capture of criminals, but the act of escorting them back to the Alpha Universe for trial. Browning also divided the Field Agents into two interrelated groups. One group specializes in simple Retrievals of Alpha Universe criminals who have used Quantum Tunneling to escape to another universe. The other group tracks criminals who commit "Inter-Universal Crimes" such as smuggling or the termination of one's Parallel Universe Versions (PUV's). As Chief of Operations, Kyle Browning champions the MVA's basic mission to prevent Quantum Tunneling from becoming a tool of crime and to apprehend all those who use it to escape justice and/or alter the affairs of Parallel Universes.
Bio: The son of a wealthy Texas oil baron, Kyle Browning grew up in relative luxury. A standout college athlete, he played in the 1964 Cairo Olympics on the Texas National Cricket Team.
  • Agent Jun Yi Park
Age: 41
Authorization: Level 4
Pre-Agency: A top Korean Intelligence Agent, Jun Yi Park was hand-picked by the Prime Minister to represent Korea when the MVA appealed to all major technology producing Alpha Universe countries to contribute personnel and resources to the growing organization.
Agency Record: Jun Yi Park is the only Agent to receive a perfect score on the MVA Intelligence and Aptitude Tests. She was expected to become a top MVA Intelligence Agent, but instead requested Retrieval missions. Despite a less than stellar apprehension record, Park refuses to accept non-field assignments. She had been partnered with Agent Roedecker and contributed to the capture of several fugitives, however once Roedecker was assigned to the Gabriel Yu-Law case, she replaced Park with Agent Funsch. Chief Browning has given Park the option to either accept a position in Research and Intelligence or tender her resignation.
Bio: Park is an avid skier and mountain climber who one day hopes to climb Mount Everest in multiple universes. Some believe that Park has become addicted to the thrill of Quantum Tunneling, the reason she will only take Retrieval assignments.
  • Simon Grant
Age: 34
Authorization: Level 5
Pre-Agency: Simon Grant was a FBI Special Agent who also taught courses in criminal behavior. His research helped solve two highly publicized serial killer cases in the Alpha Universe before being recruited by the MVA to assist in predicting the patterns, movements and activities of elusive inter-universal criminals.
Agency Record: Grant has contributed to the identification and apprehension of several other Violators, including a serial killer who had been using Quantum Tunneling to kill his ex-wife repeatedly in different universes. Most importantly, Grant unearthed former MVA Agent Gabriel Yu-Law's plan to terminate himself in all parallel universes. A student of human behavior, Grant observed Yu-Law's attempts to hide his increased strength, speed and agility. Grant tested Yu-Law's strength by asking him to help carry a small box that secretly contained 300 lbs. of gym weights. After Yu-Law lifted the box with ease and effortlessly carried it up a flight of stairs, never conscious of its actual weight, Grant, a black belt in four martial arts, accused him of Inter-Universal Homicide. He learned the true extent of Yu-Law's enhanced physical abilities when he was thrown down a flight of stairs and broke his back.
Bio: In addition to being a competition level martial artist, Grant had been a world class sprinter. His encounter with Yu-Law left him paralyzed from the waist down and he now requires the use of a wheelchair. He has thrown himself into his work and anxiously awaits the capture and sentencing of Gabriel Yu-Law.
  • Helena Jackson
Age: 32
Authorization: Level 2
Pre-Agency: Helena Jackson is a former member of the Alpha Universe U.S. Secret Service and colleague of Harry Roedecker. She was one of the few female agents and spent four years doing administrative paperwork without a single field assignment.
Agency Record: After the successful Retrieval of several Minor Violators, Jackson has struggled with her first major assignment, the apprehension of Paula Stone. Since Jackson assumed control of the case six months ago, Stone has accelerated the rate of her criminal activities, as she attempts to terminate all the Parallel Universe Versions of her boss, Alan Josephson. During this time, Jackson's team has only come close to apprehending Stone once and that encounter resulted in the death of two of Jackson's team members, Jackson's superiors have given her one more month to apprehend Stone, after which she will be removed from the case.
Bio: With a background in forensic science, Jackson has an eye for detail that should help her eventually find success within the MVA. She has good instincts, but needs to learn to trust her team members more often. One of the few female agents, she constantly has something to prove to her male superiors. She is also the former Miss Oklahoma City.
  • Jean-Pierre Krieger
Age: 34
Authorization: Level 2
Pre-Agency: Jean-Pierre Krieger was a Lieutenant in the French Foreign Legion and served in France's eight year war with Tanzania. He was dishonorably discharged for Conduct Unbecoming an Officer.
Agency Record: Krieger is a specialist in Retrieval, the capturing of criminals hiding in parallel universe for transport back to the Alpha Universe. He readily accepts any low-profile Retrieval missions offered to him, especially if the suspect is considered dangerous. He is responsible for thirty four Retrievals, but remains a Level 2 Operative due to a history of excessive force and renegade tactics. Eight of Krieger's Retrieval missions have been investigated for unlawful deaths. He was Agent Roedecker's first choice to assist in the Retrieval of Gabriel Yu-Law, but is currently serving a suspension for the unlawful death of high profile Violator Marcus Thompson.
Bio: Krieger applied to the MVA fourteen times before being accepted. His combat experience and ability to operate under stress have proven invaluable to his success; however, his disregard for MVA regulations and the well-being of his captives leaves his future with the MVA in doubt.

[edit] Known Interdimensional Offenders

  • Gabriel Yu-Law
Age: 34
Description: Inter-Universal Outlaw
Native Universe: Alpha Universe
Crimes: One Hundred Twenty Three Counts of Inter-Universal Homicide, One Hundred Twenty Three Counts of Illegal Travel to Parallel Universes.
Profile: Gabriel Yu-Law is a former MVA Agent who, inspired by the actions of Violator Andrew Harris, began terminating all of his Parallel Universe Versions (PUV's). He has succeeded in every universe but one, the Magna Universe. Research and Intelligence Agents estimate that should Gabriel Yu-Law be successful, he may become physically invincible. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that Yu-Law is apprehended before he can finish executing his plan. Additionally, Yu-Law must be retrieved alive so that his final PUV, who is in theory just as powerful, does not inadvertently become the only version left. Although Yu-Law has long been Number One on the MVA Most Wanted list, he continues to elude apprehension and Retrieval. Agent Harry Roedecker, Yu-Law's former MVA partner, and Agent Evan Funsch have recently been assigned to track him and coordinate a successful Retrieval.
Whereabouts: It is believed that Gabriel Yu-Law has jumped, or will jump, to the Magna Universe, where his final PUV resides. Agents Roedecker and Funsch hope to intercept him there.
  • Alexander Mourning
Age: 43
Description: Inter-Universal Smuggler
Native Universe: Alpha Universe
Crimes: Smuggling Restricted Substances between Universes. Destruction of MVA Property. First Degree Homicide.
Profile: Alex Mourning is a former gun runner who now controls a smuggling operation that imports the highly controlled substance Anistance for sale to Alpha Universe criminal organizations. Anistance is an element from the Drachan Universe that can be used to make non-metallic firearms. It was discovered by researchers during an early Quantum Tunneling expedition. Seeing an opportunity, and with a network of clients already in place, Mourning purchased a stolen Quantum Tunneling Device and began his smuggling operation. Anistance is relatively inexpensive to extract in the Drachan Universe and sells for a high price on the Alpha Universe black market. Mourning's agents smuggle the substance in large amounts and sell it in exchange for gold, which they bring back to Drachan where it is worth almost three times as much.
Whereabouts: Mourning resides in a well guarded compound in the Mediterranean area of the Drachan Universe, where he may plan to stay permanently. A successful Retrieval appears unlikely due to Mourning's well financed and dangerous criminal outfit and the unwillingness of Drachan Universe nations to cooperate with the MVA.
  • Paula Stone
Age: 28
Description: Inter-Universal Assassin
Native Universe: Alpha Universe
Crimes: Inter-Universal Homicide. Unauthorized Travel to Parallel Universes.
Profile: Paula Stone is the personal assassin of Alpha Universe software magnate Alan Josephson and has carried out the execution of many of Josephson's business competitors and personal enemies. When Josephson learned of Violator Andrew Harris' attempt to terminate all of his Parallel Universe Versions (PUV's), he used his contacts and enormous wealth to obtain a Quantum Tunneling Device. However, instead of using the device himself, he commissioned Stone to assassinate his PUV's for him. This is the first case of its kind and MVA's attempts to have Josephson arrested on charges of Conspiracy to Commit Inter-Universal Homicide have been unsuccessful. Bank transactions between Josephson's Swiss accounts and Stone's accounts in the Cayman Islands indicate that she has succeeded in at least forty two universes. Additionally, MVA Intelligence Agents believe that Stone may be terminating her own PUV's.
Whereabouts: Unknown. It is believed that she must come back to the Alpha Universe periodically to monitor the payments to her account. MVA's attempts to seize her funds, in hopes of dissuading her from completing her mission, have also been unsuccessful.
  • Andrew Harris
Age: 37
Description: Inter-Universal Outlaw
Native Universe: Alpha Universe
Crimes: First Degree Inter-Universal Homicide. Unauthorized Travel to Parallel Universes.
Record: Murdered "himself" in twenty three different universes. Responsible for the deaths of at least two MVA Agents. Illegal possession of MVA property.
Profile: Although Andrew Harris was not the first person to kill himself in another universe, he was the first to deliberately do so in order to make himself stronger. A research assistant for the original Quantum Tunneling project, Harris was the first to theorize that killing oneself in another universe would make one stronger. By the time he was captured by Agent Harry Roedecker, Harris could run at almost 40 mph and lift three times his own weight. This holds consistent to the fact that both "Gabe's" possesed superhuman strength and speed as well as other physical abilities. That is due to the fact that these two possess the energy of 123 "Gabes" in other universe ("Gabe" killed "himself" in 123 other universes through unauthorized travel through wormholes in an attempt to make himself Godlike and to be 'The One', hence the name of the movie).
Whereabouts: Stygian Penal Colony, Hades Universe
  • Marcos Rodríguez
Age: 56
Description: Inter-Universal Outlaw
Native Universe: Alpha Universe
Crimes: Campaign Finance Extortion. Accepting Government Kickbacks. Altering the Affairs of a Parallel Universe.
Profile: Marcos Rodríguez was a prominent U.S. Senator and member of the Senate Parallel Universe Technology Committee. He championed the original Quantum Tunneling Research Project and was instrumental in raising the necessary funds. However, shortly after the first successful Quantum Tunnel jump, Rodríguez was indicted on charges of campaign finance fraud and accepting kickbacks from government contractors. Before he could be brought to trial, Rodríguez was able to access the prototype Quantum Tunneling Device and jump into the Beta Universe. Due to the infancy of the technology, by the time he could be tracked Rodríguez had already arranged the death of his Beta Universe PUV (Parallel Universe Version), also a U.S. Senator and had assumed his position.
Whereabouts: A recent Retrieval mission resulted in the death of two MVA Agents, who were killed by Beta Universe Secret Service Agents as they attempted to apprehend Rodríguez. Further Retrieval missions have been postponed until he retires from public office.
  • Kyla Wong
Age: 31
Description: Inter-Universal Thief
Native Universe: Aldis Universe
Crimes: Inter-Universal Theft. Smuggling of valuable property between universes.
Profile: Kyla Wong is an art thief who works for private art collectors in her native Aldis Universe, the only universe with which Alpha Universe shared Quantum Tunneling Technology. A large black market exists in the Aldis Universe for parallel universe versions of famous Aldis artworks, and Wong supplies almost all of the works. Using a stolen Quantum Tunneling Device, she jumps to parallel universes and researches the availability and value of pieces that are famous in the Aldis Universe. Some works she is able to purchase cheaply and then resell for high prices in Aldis. Others she steals from low security facilities such as private collections or university museums. Wong had remained low on the MVA's Most Wanted list until she recently stole two important and valuable Alpha Universe works from the Guggenheim in New York. They were the last works of an artist whose Aldis Universe counterpart had died before he could create his own versions. She sold the works for the equivalent of Five Hundred and Seventy Million Alpha Universe U.S. Dollars.
Whereabouts: Kyla Wong makes her home in the Aldis Universe, where she has so many powerful friends, both in the public and private sector, that legal extradition has been impossible. A Retrieval is also difficult, since she rarely remains in the Aldis Universe for any length of time.
  • Marvin Leeds
Age: 62
Description: Inter-Universal Mercenary
Native Universe: Alpha Universe
Crimes: Altering the Affairs of a Parallel Universe. Weapons Smuggling. Possession of a Class 3 Device.
Profile: Marvin Leeds was a U.S. Marine during the bloody Canadian conflict in his native Alpha Universe. After retiring, Leeds became a Soldier of Fortune and controlled a small private army of well-armed, elite soldiers, which was hired by the United States to help overthrow the governments of Panama and Liechtenstein. Through his military connections, Leeds gained access to a Quantum Tunneling Device with which he jumped with his entire army to the Delta Universe, which he uses as a safe haven and training camp from which he makes forays back into the Alpha Universe, where his crew of mercenaries fights on any side of any conflict for the high bidder, sometimes changing sides mid-battle.
Whereabouts: Marvin Leeds' position and economic power in the Delta Universe, where he has so far done nothing illegal, makes MVA Retrieval extremely difficult. Current planning is to set up a private conflict and hire him to join, capturing him when both armies turn against him. But this has proven difficult to set up in a way that will fool his Intelligence Operation.

[edit] Multiverse Authority (MVA) Technology and Weapons

The MVA is seen using handguns with extremely fast projectiles as well as devices for transferring between dimensions. One such handgun is the M-590, which is also the name of the rifles used in Space: Above and Beyond, another project by Glen Morgan and James Wong featuring Tucker Smallwood and James Morrison.

[edit] Marketing

'The One' has used many tag lines from its production and its theatrical release in both cinemas and its DVD release, in which are the following:

  • Stealing the power of the universes one by one
  • There can only be one
  • Only one will survive
  • What would you do if the most dangerous man alive was you?
  • In order to save the universe, he will have to fight the fiercest enemy he has ever faced... himself.

[edit] Box Office

The One grossed US $19,112,404 ($6,604 ratio per screen) in its opening weekend in North America, and the total gross was US $43,905,746.

The film grossed $72,689,126 worldwide.

[edit] Trivia

In the film, the bad Jet Li character uses martial arts style called Xingyiquan. The good Jet Li character uses bagua-zhang kung-fu.

[edit] Cast

[edit] Soundtrack

  1. Drowning Pool - "Bodies"
  2. Disturbed - "Down With The Sickness"
  3. Jesse Dayton - "Train of Dreams"
  4. Tony Orlando & Dawn - "Knock Three Times"
  5. The Capris - "There's a Moon Out Tonight"
  6. Papa Roach - "Blood Brothers"
  7. Papa Roach - "Last Resort"
  8. Drowning Pool - "Sinner"

[edit] External link

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