One Fast Move review: A tale of redemption and motorcycles

One Fast Move is a newly released action film on Amazon Prime Video. The high-octane racing film was released on the streaming service on August 8, 2024. The racing drama film centers around burning rubber and burning barriers.

Written and directed by Kelly Blatz, One Fast Move puts Riverdale star KJ Apa in the role of the protagonist named Wes Neal. Akin to many action films centered around racing, the protagonist finds himself entangled with the wrong line of work as an illegal drag racer. He sets on a journey to look for his estranged father once he gets kicked out of the military for illegal racing.

One Fast Move is not the best film concerning writing or the delivery of the plot. The plot is fairly recycled and follows the tropes of similar films, where the protagonist follows the clichéd pattern of overcoming his struggles to ultimately shine on the racing track. Many other racing films have done similar plots with better execution. However, die-hard motorcycle fans might watch it for the thrilling racing scenes.

Disclaimer: Any opinions expressed in the article belong solely to the author.

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One Fast Move is a clichéd redemption story centered around motorcycle racing

One Fast Move is a motorcycle racing film at its heart, which is a refreshing change of pace from the abundance of racing films centered around cars. However, good motorcycle racing films are rare, and this film misses the mark by quite a distance.

The plot and character building throughout the film are fairly simple which hints at the clichéd writing of the whole film in general. The story follows a young soldier named Wes Neal whose real passion lies in racing. He is shown to be involved in illegal drag racing, which ultimately leads to him being kicked out of the army. Broken and beaten down in life, Wes Neal only has one thing to turn towards, and that is racing.

His desire to become a pro racer makes him track down his estranged father Dean Miller (played by Eric Dane). Dean Miller is a character who epitomizes the lazy writing of the film, as there is very little substance to him. In a cliched manner, Wes asks his father to be present for once in his life and teach him how to be a professional racer. Eric Dane has very little material to work with and despite his efforts, the character falls short on screen.

Fresh wounds are developed on existing scars as Wes starts training with his father. Dean puts a lot of pressure on his son to be the best, which strains all other relationships in Wes' life. To succeed on the track, Wes must first determine for himself what he wants out of life and what is ultimately worth losing.

One Fast Move is full of tropes although it was meant to be a film based on emotions rather than the glitz associated with racing films. Maia Reficco as Wes' love interest Camila plays the quintessential female character who has trust issues with their ex-con boyfriend and serves no greater purpose to the film. Edward James Olmos as Abel is the only character who packs a punch and provides some much-needed heart to the film.

The film tries to tackle some heavy subjects like parental abandonment, addiction, and broken family relations. The emotional connections between the characters never shine through making the story incredibly lifeless and frigid. The film could have done with more racing sequences which are the saving grace of the film (the stuntmen deserve aplomb for their efforts).

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One Fast Move is currently available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video.