THE ONE

In some parallel universe, if the premise of James Wong’s The One is to be believed, Al Gore is president. That’s how close the Florida recount was. Chances are, though, despite such flashes of wit, this dumb thriller would still be a turkey. Jet Li demonstrates a lisp and little affect as Yulaw, a former “Multiverse” cop who discovers that by killing his double in a different universe, he adds that life force to his own. So he sets out via wormholes (they operate like cosmic Cuisinarts) from one parallel world to the next, 123 in all (and all of them potential sequels), killing “himself” in each, until there’s only one double left. That’s Gabe, also played by Li, a Los Angeles County sheriff who lately has found that his martial-arts powers have been augmented, oh, 123-fold. It’s kind of Highlander with a Terminator twist, but most will watch this for the sequences of Li fighting himself, which are quite bad: the action is slowed down and halted and the figures have the claymation look of a cheesy king fu video game. It’s sad, too, watching Delroy Lindo get tossed around like a kid’s chew toy. Let’s hope The One is the only.

— Peter Keough