I don’t often consider myself a fan of racing movies as they can feel a bit samey. Every now and then something comes along that shows a little uniqueness, but they feel few and far between. While One Fast Move certainly isn’t breaking any new story ground, I was surprised at how much its focus is on the people and their relationships with each other versus simply racing. Don’t get me wrong, the racing is great when they actually show it. But the primary focus being the relationships formed versus simply the race itself helps to make the stakes feel more grounded. A lot easier to relate to estranged family members reconnecting than someone just being really competitive and wanting to win.
I was able to talk to stars KJ Apa, Eric Dane, Edward James Olmos and Maia Reficco about the film and all of the stuntwork it entailed. Maia was fortunate enough to avoid the bikework but KJ spent a decent amount of time training, so it was great to pick his brain. Obviously, the actors weren’t able to perform any of the high-speed stuntwork, but it’s still impressive to see. What One Fast Move misses in extravagant set pieces, it gains in its more grounded emotional work. So it was great to be able to pick the actor’s brains about getting into that headspace. Plus, I got to tell Olmos about how important Battlestar Galactica is to me, so that’s a bucket list moment.
One Fast Movie plot: Wes Neal (K.J. APA), a young man with a passion for speed, is kicked out of the military for motorcycle drag racing. With nowhere left to go, and a desire to go pro in racing, he tracks down his estranged father, Dean Miller (ERIC DANE), a former motorcycle racing champion, to be his coach. Wes gets a job at the motorcycle shop owned by Dean’s old mentor, Abel (EDWARD JAMES OLMOS), and meets a local waitress (MAIA REFICCO) who he falls for. As he begins training with his father, fresh wounds are created on old scars as Dean puts intense pressure on his son to be the best, putting a strain on all other relationships in Wes’ life. Wes must decide for himself now what he wants for his future, and ultimately what is worth losing in order to win big on the track.
ONE FAST MOVE IS STREAMING ON PRIME VIDEO ON AUGUST 8TH, 2024.