One More Shot Review

Scott Adkins is one of my favourite action stars currently working in film. He is most famous now for being Killa in John Wick Chapter 4, but he has starred in some incredible action flicks like Ip Man 4, Undisputed 3 and Avengement. However I found one of his recent films to be lacklustre and shockingly it is One Shot. While some of the action was fun and engaging. It felt like a post-9/11 action film released in 2021. Reeking with problematic views on terrorism and a story that could not sustain its runtime. So heading into the sequel, I had very low expectations. My thoughts were when i loaded up the film was at worst, I would get some fun action scenes. So, I am glad to say that One More Shot is a massive step up in quality over the original in a variety of ways.

Continuing where the first film left off Navy Seal Jake Harris must stop a group of mercenaries from capturing a suspected terrorist while en route to be interrogated in Washington D.C. The story is basic and as I mentioned before still has aspects that I would deem to be dated however at the same time I feel writer Jamie Russell has retroactively developed the villains to be more nuanced instead of simply being based on problematic fears. The acting is solid, Scott Adkins is great as always and gives a performance that is both physically demanding and truly believable as a man wanting to save his country. The film also stars Michael Jai White plays Robert Jackson leader of the mercenaries, and he steals every scene that he is in. He has a true screen presence that also makes me question why he was never a massive star. But another actor who shocked me with how great they were was Aaron Toney as Dunbar while only having a few scenes he is great and shows off how amazing of a martial artist he is.

If you cannot tell by the title, One More Shot is shot to look like the film Is “one continuous take”. While it is an obvious fake one with many hidden cuts. The gimmick is entertaining but at the same time, I feel it having to be a oner handicaps the action as they are limited in their coverage. You can feel the lack of coverage in the action scenes that take place in corridors as the limited space does mean the camera can get too close to the action. However, the rest of the action is solid and is well shot but still wish it wasn’t forced to do the one-take style.

One More Shot is not going to blow you away, the story is basic and while the action is great it is nothing mind-blowing. It is a good film to put on when you need something to put on that requires little thinking and when the credits roll you will leave with a smile on your face and wanting more as it clearly teases a 3^rd film.

★★★1/2

Action, Thriller | Coming to Sky Cinema 12 January 2024 | Sky Cinema, Signature Entertainment | Dir: James Nunn | Scott Adkins, Michael Jai White, Alexis Knapp, Tom Berenger