| One Way | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Reto Salimbeni |
| Produced by | Til Schweiger |
| Written by | Reto Salimbeni |
| Starring | Til Schweiger Michael Clarke Duncan Lauren Lee Smith Eric Roberts |
| Cinematography | Paul Sarossy |
| Distributed by | Universal International Pictures |
| Release date(s) | 25 January 2007 (Germany) |
| Running time | 116 min |
| Country | Germany |
One Way (2007) is a crime drama/psychological thriller, written and directed by Reto Salimbeni and produced by Til Schweiger. The film stars Schweiger, Michael Clarke Duncan, Lauren Lee Smith and Eric Roberts. The international production was shot in Toronto, New York City, Vancouver and Cologne and was co-produced and distributed by Universal International Pictures.
Contents |
Eddie Schneider (Til Schweiger) is a charismatic and successful creative director at a top advertising agency in New York. A master of communication, his pitching skills are legendary, and he never loses an account.[1] Eddie is engaged to Judy Birk (Stephanie von Pfetten), the boss’s daughter. Eddie’s life looks perfect, but internally he battles an addiction to sex with no success. His addiction has led him into a life of lies and deceit. Although struggling with his dark side, Eddie thinks his infidelities are victimless crimes and justifies them with his business success.
After winning a huge pitch for the agency, Eddie discovers his co-worker and friend Angelina (Lauren Lee Smith) has been raped by Judy’s brother Anthony (Sebastien Roberts).[2] The Birk family bring in their top lawyer to make sure Anthony is found innocent – but to ensure his freedom Anthony blackmails Eddie with evidence of Eddie’s countless affairs, demanding Eddie testifies in court on his behalf. To maintain his perfect life and upcoming marriage – Eddie helps Anthony get off the hook.
When Anthony is found not guilty, his victim Angelina is devastated and tries to commit suicide. At the last moment an army general (Michael Clarke Duncan) saves her life. Only Angelina sees The General – he is a powerful, revenging, guiding angel of heaven and hell. An ethereal force.
Judy finds out about Eddie’s affairs and breaks off the engagement; her father (Art Hindle) fires him. Eddie is cut out of the world he created for himself.
Helped by her new guardian angel, The General, Angelina takes brutal revenge on Anthony and orchestrates the assault so that Eddie is the main suspect.[3] With no support from former family and friends, Eddie finds himself in prison, facing trial with no way out.
Even after he’s exposed as an obsessive adulterer in court, Eddie refuses to testify against Angelina and he looks doomed to suffer a life-long jail sentence. In a heart-gripping climax Judy comes to Eddie’s rescue providing evidence to prove his innocence, but he has to face his inner demons.
One Way was shot in Toronto, New York, Vancouver and Cologne (interiors).[2]
Reto Salimbeni and Til Schweiger about One Way (Extracted from the publicity booklet)
Reto Salimbeni: "One Way is about emotional justice – it’s about knowledge that everybody carries inside – about what is right and wrong. Unfortunately being right doesn’t equal being given justice. Especially when it comes to women’s abuse, there is a huge discrepancy between what people feel the deserved punishment would be and what sentences the legal system gives."
Til Schweiger: "One Way is an intense film, that portrays betrayal, violence against woman and friendship. Taking this into consideration, it’s a miracle that at the end of the film there is positive hope for the protagonists that they’ll face a better future. An unpredictable story, that keeps the tension rising till the last shot."
Til Schweiger (best male actor) and Reto Salimbeni (best screenplay) were nominated in the pre-selection for the German Film Award.