One More Shot

There is a specific kind of physical exhaustion that comes from watching Scott Adkins work. By the time the credits roll on One More Shot, I felt like I needed a protein shake and a three-day nap just to recover from the secondhand lactic acid buildup. Directed by James Nunn, who also helmed the first installment (2021’s One Shot), this sequel doubles down on the "single continuous take" gimmick, proving that the modern action landscape is currently doing more interesting things with camera placement than most $200 million blockbusters.

I watched this on a Tuesday night while my neighbor was testing their new leaf blower at 9 PM; the constant, droning hum actually blended quite well with the ambient noise of a pressurized airport terminal, making the whole experience weirdly immersive in a way James Nunn probably didn’t intend.

The Art of the "Oner" in the Streaming Era

The "one-shot" technique has become a bit of a flex in contemporary cinema. From the celebrated "oner" in Extraction 2 to the high-prestige tension of 1917, directors are increasingly obsessed with erasing the edit. In One More Shot, it feels less like a vanity project and more like a pressure cooker. We follow Navy SEAL Jake Harris as he attempts to escort a high-value suspect, Amin Mansur (played with a weary, believable desperation by Waleed Elgadi), through a D.C. airport that has been transformed into a sprawling kill zone by mercenaries.

Because the camera never—seemingly—cuts, you’re trapped in the hallway with them. There is no "meanwhile, at the villain’s lair" to give you a breather. It’s basically "Bureaucracy: The Action Movie," where the red tape is replaced by high-velocity lead and baggage claim tickets. The cinematography by Job Reineke is a feat of logistical gymnastics. You can practically see the camera operator dodging falling shells and sprinting around corners to keep up with the mayhem. It’s digital trickery, sure—the cuts are hidden in whip-pans and dark doorways—but the physical stamina required from the cast is undeniable.

When Titans Finally Clash

Let’s talk about the main event: Scott Adkins. In an era where franchise fatigue is real and CGI capes do most of the heavy lifting, Adkins remains a practical-effects god. He doesn’t just "play" an action hero; he survives the movie. He’s the undisputed king of the contemporary "Direct-to-Video" (DTV) market, though that label feels increasingly outdated when the quality of the choreography surpasses most theatrical releases.

The real buzz for me, however, was the inclusion of Michael Jai White as Robert Jackson. Fans of the cult classic Undisputed II: Last Man Standing (directed by Isaac Florentine) have been waiting for these two to throw down again for nearly two decades. When they finally lock horns here, it’s not just a fight; it’s a seminar in screen martial arts. Michael Jai White still moves with the grace of a panther who’s been hitting the gym twice a day since the Bush administration. Their showdown is brief but impactful, providing a much-needed jolt of charisma in a film that is otherwise very grim and grey.

The Logistics of Constant Chaos

One of the more fascinating things about One More Shot is how it utilizes the mundane architecture of an airport. We’ve seen a thousand shootouts in warehouses, but there’s something uniquely tense about watching Adkins clear a room full of duty-free perfume and overpriced neck pillows. The production design makes great use of the sterile, liminal space of the terminal, turning every boarding gate into a potential choke point.

Apparently, filming these long sequences was a nightmare of timing. If an extra tripped at minute twelve of a fifteen-minute take, the whole thing hit the bin. That level of "high-wire act" filmmaking translates to the screen; you can feel the cast’s relief every time they successfully transition into a new area. The script by Jamie Russell is essentially a series of tactical "fetch quests" strung together by gunfire, but it works because the stakes feel immediate. It doesn’t matter if the plot is a bit thin when you’re too busy wondering if Adkins is ever going to run out of ammo or oxygen.

While One More Shot doesn't exactly reinvent the narrative wheel—it’s a standard "protect the asset" scenario with some ticking-clock flavoring—it excels as a technical showcase. It’s a testament to what a small, dedicated crew can do when they decide that editing is for people who can’t hit their marks. If you’re tired of the "shaky-cam" chaos that plagues modern blockbusters, this is the antidote. It’s lean, mean, and remarkably focused on the craft of the fight. Just make sure you have some water nearby; you’ll be parched just watching them run.