It’s about sports and redemption, or is it? These are among some of the most inspiring underdog stories based on athletics to date. Even by their most extreme circumstances do the heartening underdog stories revolve around sport. Most people who watch movies will agree that there is something magical about underdog films – a young man with only one gift in life takes his chance at fame through sports because what else does he have to lose in this world? It’s easy to think of classics like Rocky, Invincible, or even I, Tonya for instance. And Prime Video’s new direct-to-streaming feature One Fast Move proves the list will go on in the year 2024…
No this isn’t The Bikeriders starring Tom Hardy and Austin Butler. Yes, two different motorcycle dramas came out this year — what were the odds of that? (Almost as high as two nun horror movies Immaculate and The First Omen being released within a week of each other this year). They’re very different tales, mind you; yet One Fast Move gets its groove in different ways — smaller and family-oriented it will astound thanks to its talented cast. The incredible visuals brilliantly depict just how much boldness exists in such an adventurous sport without resorting to green screens or CGIs which should please both amateurs and professionals alike. Of course, this is polished stuff with a polished cast too besides some predictable narrative tropes you may see coming along elsewhere.
Wouldn’t believe if I tell you that “Archie” himself from Riverdale has been made edgy for another extreme sports flick miles away from his usual role on TV right? KJ Apa looks as though he could have stepped out of One Fast Move into The Bikeriders gang (sorry, wrong movie).
Once more K.J Apa completely nails an American accent landing on our screens with chiselled body build, bald head and menacing eyes displaying a man who is bitter due to his harsh upbringing. It only gets worse from there as the thrilling opening sequence shows. So, all you Riverdale deniers listen up: the talented Apa has come with a no-nonsense demeanour in a professional movie just like his excellent minor role in 2018’s The Hate U Give.
One Fast Move is directed by Kelly Blatz (who has also appeared in several other projects over the years) and shot with sleek grit and grace, often interchangeably. The smoothness never stops here, but it is usually frequently replaced with guttiness especially at the start when Wes (Apa) finds himself trapped in an illegal street race that sees him land behind bars.
Some months afterward he is away and around a small town that is almost home. Or is it? Inevitably the biker, Wes heads for the local track where he focuses on one particular racer: Dean (Eric Dane), who had been his father until long ago. It is said that racing skills can be inherited by family members, and these two have a talent of speeding their bikes like light at terrifying tracks even though Dean’s body has been rebuilt with rods from injuries that are left over from previous races. The worst thing of all this is that Wes turned into a broke ex-convict while Dean now spends his life partying hard and sleeping with women apart from losing major competitions in professional circuit-racing.
At first Wes dislikes Dean’s party-hard-cannot-do attitude, but there emerges typical family stuff that movie goers do enjoy despite some of us being scared to death of motorbikes. Apa and Dane often have dryly comical conversations full of swear words as they share unflinchingly honest affection for each other when it is decided that maybe Dean could adopt his long lost son as an apprentice – or possibly launch Wes’ career as a minor bike riding celebrity.
Yes, through some connections, he finds him a job at what seems like the granddaddy of all biker shops owned by an old man whose name seems to be Abel but I will keep referring to him as such since I think he represents the standard biker guy; Edward James Olmos played him wonderfully well, showing how bitter life could be once you had lived your best days behind you and whether you did not want to die because you wanted one more day out on your Harley or just did not care anymore if anyone ever loved you again. Unofficially stemming down from Olmos through Dane to Apa this has made One Fast Move feel like more than just another collection of extreme sports scenes without any suggestion of what they do for a living. Also, Maia Reficco plays the local waitress who happens to like Wes because of his simple and fresh-from-the-boat nature. Although predictable romantic beats occur, the on-screen chemistry between these young stars is also remarkable.
Also, the ending falls into several clichéd redemption traps that tie up Wes’ journey too neatly; however, everything leading up to that point was damn interesting. As Eric Dane said in an interview with me about the movie: “We want to watch broken people heal themselves.” Brother we hear you Amen. The outcome for our lead character is fairly obvious but there are little sub-plots from One Fast Move featuring all but some of its likeable support actors who will keep you going until you get tired of all those convenient resolutions occurring around the end of act three.
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