One Way
One Way
| 21 October 2006 (USA)
One Way Trailers

To cover up his infidelities and protect his upcoming marriage, a star advertiser helps free an accused rapist by giving a false alibi and suffers the brutal revenge of the victim.

Reviews
NateWatchesCoolMovies

One Way is an interesting, unpredictable sort of genre bending thriller that shouldn't be judged by its cover, which makes it out to be an action flick. Not even close. It's the story of several different characters who intersect by the mistakes they make, and the lengths they go for redemption and revenge. In the opening sequence we see a young girl pursued by a pack of perverted hooligans through the woods. After being sexually assaulted, she is visited by a hulking military general (the excellent Michael Clarke Duncan) who seems to be her guardian angel, brutally dispatching the youths with an automatic machine gun. The story then switches randomly to a cocky, adulterous ad executive (Til Schweiger trying hard not to ham it up) who's in crisis with his suspecting wife, arrogant boss (Art Hindle), and his boss's son, a vile prick with a penchant for sexual assault himself. Lauren Lee Smith plays the older version of our heroine in the prequel, whose continuing story collides with Schweiger's predicament for some really surprising thrills that take you by surprise. It's a really unique setup, without any sort of warning or conventional intuition as to where it's going to take us, and eventually gets to some dark places of morally frightening danger. Smith is excellent in the intense lead role that requires some harrowing work, which she pulls off without a hitch. Sebastian Roberts is a snivelling little piece of human garbage as the boss's son and Schweiger's brother in law, and provides an antagonist that you just love to hate, and gets what's coming to him in a a disgusting sequence that lets just say, sneaks up on you....from behind. Michael Clarke Duncan is only around for a few scenes but makes his usual impression, and is unforgettable as the sympathetic general. Eric Roberts shows up out of nowhere in the third act, nailing his role as a slick defence attorney, and Kenneth Welsh kills it as the rival lawyer. Stephanie Von Pfetten is heartbreaking as Schweiger's put upon wife who has deep issues of her own that come piling out in a devastating courtroom sequence. If you enjoy thrillers that spin a left field, unconventional narrative where you never really quite know who's who or where things are going, give this one a watch. It's a unique treat.

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criticeye1

One Way is a unique film focusing on 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. 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. Me and my wife saw it together and spoke about it the whole evening. It's out on DVD now... check it out!

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marc armstrong

I enjoyed this movie very much, I like that as the plot unfolds we are thrown many curve balls that catch us by surprise and keep us in our seats. I was impressed with most of the acting (especially the villain)Anthony Birk played by Sebastien Roberts. I didn't know him before so I don't know if he plays villains often but man is he nasty!! I love Eric Roberts, I thought he was great but I was expecting to see him a lot more. I wasn't certain about (the General) character played by Micheal Clark Duncan but in the end it works.The only thing that bothered me in this movie was the overwhelming violence in the opening scene, I thought that was a little much. Definitely a movie to see.Marc

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Yva-Laz-Vegas

I'm afraid this film is rather bad. I just went to see it yesterday and was surprised it was given a cinema release.I am a strong supporter of independent film and especially of Swiss directors, but this film sadly never gets out of C-Movie territory. The story itself has the makings of a fantastic movie, the themes of violence against women, betrayal and revenge are topics of enduring interest.I am normally delighted to see European (in this case German) actors participating in international films which will showcase them to a wider audience. I'm well acquainted with Til Schweigers work, but I thought his acting was awful in this film, full of clichés and hamminess. He was even better in King Arthur (another bad film) where he only had a few sentences of dialogue. Even though he was typecast as a villain in that one, his acting was miles better than in this latest offering.The supporting cast were also pretty bad in this film, especially the guys who played the boss of the advertising agency and his son, they were just awful.The filming of the violent attacks were needlessly graphic in this case and did not lend to the gravitas of the film. Other films have done this in a much more poignant(or relevant) manner e.g. Lilja-4-Ever, The Accused, Boys Don't Cry, Irreversible...etc. etc.The whole concept of the victim introducing an imaginary hero to help her cope with the trauma of rape didn't work at all in this instance and I thought this was a very weak point in the script and it's direction.The plot of the film is actually very interesting material, and if worked with in another way, could have been great. I intend no disrespect towards the makers of this film, as releases like these are normally a labour of love and an awful lot of very hard work goes into them, but i cannot give this film a good rating as it simply badly executed.

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