One Way Review: Good Instincts & Ideas Overcome Thriller's Weak Script
Machine Gun Kelly, aka Colson Baker, is a rising star in the movie industry when he isn't strolling down a red carpet with his incredibly gifted partner, Megan Fox, or switching out his rapper identity for a rocker one. One Way is one of those low-budget movies that suffers from a bad trailer, a direct-to-VOD release, and being buried in the fall festival buzz after a weak week at the box office. Actually, One Way is a respectable watch that is definitely best enjoyed at home. It is a movie with more excellent ideas than excellent execution. But it achieves one goal: It enables the audience to see the natural skill more clearly.
Colson Baker portrays Freddy in One Way, a career crook who gets into trouble. He is suffering from a gunshot wound and has stolen from the biggest mob lord in the area. He boards a bus with his final one-way ticket to freedom and meets a young runaway (Storm Reid) and a mysterious passenger (Travis Fimmel), who both play crucial roles in what may be his final night on earth. Although Freddy's trip seems gloomy, he might be able to survive.
One Way is a typical movie, and as it progresses, each archetype is simple to recognise and the plot's direction is quickly revealed. Perhaps what weakens an otherwise excellent crime thriller is Ben Conway's screenplay. The writing Baird is using has hollow writing. For the excellent concepts in the story, it lacks depth or a plan for how to implement them. For instance, the bus could serve as the sole location for the movie's set. It would be enough to have a single-location thriller with a desperate young man whose life depends on whether he can get away from his merciless boss, who is never seen and is only heard on the phone. It was also necessary to develop the additional emotional and moral problem Freddy data-faces when travelling with his fellow passengers.
One Way has a talented director, an aspirational actor, and decent concepts. Beyond straight-to-VOD releases, Baker is clearly on the fast track to success thanks to his personality and tenacity. Hopefully, he'll start picking better movies. One Way won't go down in the annals of crime thrillers, but its greatest triumph should be paving the way for Colson Baker and Andrew Baird's eventual ascent in the movie business.