Carl Franklin’s gripping neo-noir thriller ‘One False Move’ joins the Criterion Collection this week, in a stunning 4K UHD release. Very nearly consigned straight to video back in 1992, this forgotten gem fully deserves a resurgence of attention and recognition. Harking back to an era when character and storytelling still mattered, and even low-budget thrillers had the kind of evocative cinematography that would win an Oscar nowadays, ‘One False Move’ is a striking example of 90s indie cinema.
Co-written by Billy Bob Thornton and Tom Epperson, the film begins with a violent drug heist gone wrong which results in several murders. The perpetrators, Ray (Billy Bob Thornton), Pluto (Michael Beach), and Ray’s girlfriend Fantasia (Lynda Williams) flee LA, with plans to sell the drugs they have stolen. Hot on their heels are two LAPD detectives, Cole (Jim Metzler) and McFeely (Earl Billings), who discover that the fugitives have a connection to a small town in Arkansas, and so they head there to intercept them.
The local police chief in this small town is Dale “Hurricane” Dixon (Bill Paxton), an excitable young cop who is almost starstruck by his LAPD counterparts. It’s refreshing to see a film that explores the contrast between city and country cops, and not have a cliched dispute over jurisdiction. Dixon knows this isn’t his rodeo, and just wants to be part of the team to bring the fugitives down.
This is a compelling, slow-burn thriller. Franklin takes his time with the characters, giving them each an inner life, and letting the story breathe. As much time is spent with the fugitives on their perilous journey across the Southwest, as it is with the cops. We get to know them all, and understand what has led them down their respective paths, and how their lives converge. It’s a masterclass in character development and ratcheting tension.
But what truly elevates ‘One False Move’ beyond other crime thrillers is the subtle exploration of complex themes. Whether it be meditating on the consequences of one’s actions, the moral ambiguity of human nature, or America’s racial and societal divisions, Franklin handles it all with a deftness of touch. Huge credit must of course go to Thornton and Epperson, whose elegant, authentic, and thought-provoking screenplay transcends typical genre boundaries.
The disc comes with a commentary from Carl Franklin recorded in 1999. There’s also a brand-new conversation between Franklin and Billy Bob Thornton as they recollect the making of the movie. It’s fascinating to hear them talk about how they were lucky the film went under the radar, as they would have never gotten the violent opening heist sequence made if the execs and distributors had been paying attention. Finally, there is the original theatrical trailer.
Cast: Bill Paxton, Billy Bob Thornton, Cynda Williams Director: Carl Franklin Writer: Billy Bob Thornton & Tom Epperson Released By: Spirit Entertainment Certificate: 15 Duration: 105 mins Release Date: 6th November 2023
