A Review of 'One Fast Move': A bike-racer film with trouble down the road
An aspiring motor-bike racer encounters personal demons and unlikely friends while pursuing success.
'One Fast Move': A bike-racer film with trouble down the road
Cast: KJ Apa, Eric Dane, Edward James Olmos, Maia Reficco, Austin North, Jackson Hurst, Gary Weeks, Rose Bianco, Brook Falcon, Adam Thomas Ziemba, Libby Blake, Kevin Saunders, Ellis Hobbs IV, Robin K. Johnson, Jessica Luza, Ronny Mathew, Greg White, Jason Weigandt, Greg Creamer, Forrest Biggs
Critic’s Rating: 3 Stars out of 5
Director: Kelly Blatz
Duration: 1 hour, 45 minutes
Genre: Drama, Sports, Action, Adventure
Language: English
Release: August 8, 2024
What’s it about?
An aspiring motor-bike racer encounters personal demons and unlikely friends while pursuing success.
Review:
Here is an ambitious celluloid yarn combining tense human relationships and professional motorcycle racing. But despite a handful of moderately intriguing characters, a few compelling scenes and heart-thumping movement on the racing circuit, this film falls short of complete credibility or satisfaction. However, there is just enough substance and effective cinematography to keep the viewer interested in following the narrative to its end. One doesn’t even need to be a bike enthusiast to share in the main characters’ passion for the sport.
One Fast Move begins with Wes Neil (KJ Apa) taking part in an illegal night-time drag race which lands his derriere in jail. Once out of the can, he reunites with his prize vehicle and hunts down Dean Miller (Eric Dane) to reclaim an unusual debt. It turns out the former champion who is well past his prime on the circuit, is related to Wes. After some initial reluctance, Dean agrees to take the young man under his wing and teach him the ropes (or more appropriately, “the roads”). Apart from training, Wes also secures a job at the shop of Dean’s business partner – the elderly and paternal Abel (Edward James Olmos).
In between work and practice, Wes strikes up a romance with the effervescent and affectionate Camila (Maia Reficco), who catches his eye at a diner. Under the direction of Dean, Wes goes from strength to strength on the track and wins his first professional race. But while his mentor vicariously cherishes the protégé’s triumph, it appears he has an ugly agenda against another competitor. This leads to altercations on and off the track and intense drama interrupts our hero’s success story – a little too suddenly and jarringly, at that. Amicable equations quickly get scrambled in the process.
With Wes anticipating the pressure of another major upcoming race, rapports get bitter and fierce. In the course of heated conversations, several poignant revelations abound. Will the emotional maturity of one person help assuage the tensions and resolve the conflicts? And how will this come about? Yes, there are several plot points emphasising the broken lives of the cast and their attempts to pick up the pieces with each other’s help. However, the similarity in their respective stories might be a tad too hard for the viewer to digest and implausibility soon replaces integrity.
The audience might be reminded of other heroic sports movies like the Rocky and Creed franchise as well as the true life race-car film Rush. But despite the apparent effort involved, this flick might not find a place on the same shelf. However, writer-director Kelly Blatz’ dialogue is often irreverent and sharp and the racing scenes never get boring or repetitive. However, some of the discord between the characters appears contrived. Still, while this movie might not succeed entirely as a believable drama, the racing compensates somewhat. And the denouement shows how each person involved finds peace and joy in the victories of others.
