On August 8, Prime Video released the racing action film «One Fast Move», starring New Zealand actor KJ Apa, known to many for his role in the teen drama series «Riverdale». In the review below, we analyze what the second feature film by director Kelly Blatz is about and why you shouldn’t expect anything less from this movie «“Fast and Furious” on bikes», even though it is also about family.
Pluses:
a story that pays more attention to human relationships than to the sporting, competitive component; the local characters exist within certain templates, but still seem more alive and deeper than in «Fast and Furious», not least because of the good acting and interaction in the frame; the racing looks natural, without being overpowered by graphics;
Minuses:
the story is devoid of surprises and is somewhat stereotypical and predictable; the characters also do not go beyond the familiar patterns; not everyone will like the accents placed here; the narrative is somewhat overlong; the final race raises some questions;
«One Fast Move»
Genre racing action, drama
Director Kelly Blatz
Starring K.J. Apa, Eric Dane, Maya Reficco, Edward James Olmos, Austin North, Jackson Hearst
Premiere Prime Video
Year of issue 2024
Website IMDb
In a military unit, a young man named Wes Neal accepts a challenge from his opponent and takes part in a dirt bike race. However, he doesn’t have long to celebrate his victory, as the unfortunate biker is arrested by the military police and forced to spend the next six months behind bars.
After being dishonorably discharged from the service, the newly minted homeless man heads to his native land in the hope of enlisting the support of experienced racer Dean Miller. The latter not only knows how to fit into a sharp turn, but is also formally Wes’s father, albeit one who decided to abandon his family in his youth for the sake of his ambitions. Will the two men with complicated pasts be able to find a common language, let alone claim any success in sports?
If you expect an uninterrupted adrenaline-fueled action in the spirit of an unrestrained saga, i.e. «Fast and Furious» with its short breaks to celebrate family values, it is better to pass by right away. Because the plot of this film is based on completely opposite principles: simple and understandable human relationships are in the foreground, followed by the smell of burnt rubber and the pretentious vroom-vroom at the start.
In other words, the primitive romanticization of the family has left the chat room, and a kind of imitation of relationships within the racing simulator has been replaced by a more realistic, more or less life-like story. The story shows real difficulties and the not so appealingly utopian side of relationships between people who are not strangers to each other. The dynamics of the interaction between father and son, that is, the characters of KJ Apa and Eric Dane, becomes central to the plot. And even though there are no dramatic revelations, the characters feel alive, and this is enough to make you feel for their fate.
Again, there were absolutely no surprises, but the secondary storylines turned out to be quite nice. In particular, the romantic one, in which Wes Neal gets together with the waitress Camila, and the one where the protagonist is supported by his father’s old friend Abel. These episodes, and the entire drama of the film in general, look basic, but this earthiness is only to the benefit of the audience.
In total, «One Fast Move» will feature three races that are cleverly woven into the narrative and comfortably coexist with the human drama. At the same time, the racing action is staged in such a way that it feels like something real compared to another special effects celebration. Overall, the picture is pleasant, and when the drivers lean sharply to one side or the other during the turns, it seems as if their knee is about to kiss the asphalt.
What the movie failed to do was to create a clear sporting antagonism. There were some hints of it, but the main conflict is centered around a father and son, and it has more to do with life situations than on the track. If anyone was hoping for a vivid spirit of rivalry between competitors like «Ford v Ferrari» by James Mangold, they will be completely disappointed. Sports drama is rapidly giving way to ordinary drama.
The lead actor, K.J. Apa, is in good physical shape and displays appropriate emotional restraint, and his appearance recalls certain facial features of Christian Bale’s time «Terminator: Salvation». Eric Dane successfully portrays an ambiguous character who has a lot to regret. There are still posters of naked beauties on this dinosaur’s refrigerator, and there is hardly anything edible in the fridge itself, but you can always find a bottle of cold beer (for the record, no Corona product placement was spotted).
«One Fast Move» — The movie is as simple and down-to-earth as possible, completely devoid of the slightest surprises and certainly not designed for fans of Toretto-style racing stunts.
The film is as far as possible from the dynamics (and, by the way, pathos) of the real «Fast and Furious on bikes» — «Torque», and its characters do not go beyond the familiar archetypes. These factors can really get in the way of enjoying the movie. But it is precisely in this holy simplicity that lies the appeal of this story, which is still more about people than the life motto «I live my life a quarter mile at a time».
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