2011
Rated: Unrated
Genre: Short Horror Thriller Suspense Action
Directed By: Alex Pucci
Written By: Trevor Wright , Alex Pucci
Scream Kings
Running Time: 20 Minutes
Review by: Felix Vasquez Jr.
Review Date: 2/16/11

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THE ONE

 

In this world there are either the predators and the prey, and for Derek, one fateful night where he watched his brother be sucked dry by a gorgeous female during rough sex will grant him life as a predator. But not the predator messianic beauty Callie Munroe may have figured when she toured his brother as The One. What the One is remains a mystery in what is another home run for director Alex Pucci, the mind behind "Frat House Massacre" an indie slasher film I make no bones about loving to pieces. For this outing, the team of Alex Pucci and Niki Rubin approach a shorter length piece of genre fare where Derek is an avenging warrior, a vampire hunter who takes it upon himself to hunt down Callie Munroe, a beauty with a set of fangs who is slowly gaining power across America as a messiah and prophet proclaiming her lambs to be groomed for her liking.

Building a small cult, she searches for the best of her flock. And Derek is on the hunt for her. After a violent scuffle in a bar, Derek is approached by a young man who insists he has to take Derek to Callie so he can be rewarded. Filmed in a style of an almost nightmarish tint where every character leaves a trail of light behind them, "The One" is a certifiably top notch vampire thriller and one that has a moral about the hunter and the hunted, and what happens when a predator under estimates their prey.  

A slow boil and directorially rich entry in to the sub-genre with sharp performances from the entire cast including Austin Dossey who does a very strong job of playing twins, transformed in to a lone warrior, while Niki Rubin is mesmerizing as the villainous Callie whose own sense of self importance may just be her downfall. When the blood has shed, Pucci leaves the audience pondering on what the one is, and why Derek was touted as the One since the beginning. Was he the one to bring down the entire vampire race? Or was he naturally intended to become the master that would lead the undead in to domination alongside Callie? When we decided what we want to be, does it ever matter what fate had dealt for us in the beginning?

While I enjoyed the final confrontation, sadly it's brought down by the distracting editing and pulled punches that prevent any dynamic dramatic tension from occurring while the two main characters face off. Good choreography is tough to come by, and "The One" doesn't really master the art of flawless choreography. The confusing editing doesn't do much to help the fight feel any more convincing than it should. As for the entire film, while it is fantastic, it feels like a feature length film truncated in to a twenty minute fix that is deserving of a more wider narrative with much more exploration in to who and what Callie is and who Derek is. Where has he been all this time? What has he been looking for? Why hasn't anyone caught on to Callie's ruse beside Derek? These questions and many more are left high up in the air long after the film has ended.

A very entertaining follow-up from director Alex Pucci, "The One" is a fun and sleek vampire thriller with stars Niki Rubin and Austin Dossey tearing up the screen all to the tune of a story that delves in fate, karma, revenge, and ultimately irony.

 

 

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