One Last Shot marks the third and potentially final entry in James Nunn and Scott Adkins’ action franchise, once again embracing the illusion of one continuous take to deliver another relentless night of tactical warfare, broken bones and absolute carnage.
Let’s be clear, there are obviously a few cleverly concealed cuts along the way, but who cares? The whole point is to make the action feel uninterrupted, and Nunn has become rather bloody good at it, if you ask me.
James Nunn is a filmmaker who doesn’t get nearly enough credit for his contributions to modern action cinema. His collaborations with Adkins have consistently delivered, with Green Street 3: Never Back Down and Eliminators being prime examples of what these two can accomplish together and on budget and time.
Then came One Shot, introducing a raw, tactical edge to Adkins’ already impressive action filmography.
Sure, he’d already been the most complete fighter, the second hardest target and collected a few debts along the way, but Jake Harris gave him another memorable action hero to add to the collection.
And now, three films in, Nunn and Adkins are still finding new ways to give the poor bastard an absolutely miserable day.
This time around, seasoned Navy SEAL Jake Harris is called back into action when former comrade Elliot Carter (Steven Cree) takes the Joint Chiefs of Staff hostage inside a nuclear bunker. With the country’s nuclear codes at stake, Harris must lead his team into enemy territory, facing heavily armed mercenaries, deadly traps and a man whose motivations are rooted in their shared past.
Adkins is once again putting his body on the line, and if you’re wondering what else these guys can possibly do after three movies, Nunn firmly answers that question.
For starters, Adkins goes down more stairs than Keanu Reeves in John Wick: Chapter 4. Okay, maybe that’s a slight exaggeration, but there are a ridiculous number of stairs and falls involved. He also drives an ATV while shooting bad guys and, if that wasn’t enough, leaps onto a moving boat. Yup, that’s Adkins. He’s a modern-day Chuck Norris at this point, and Jake Harris has the beard to prove it.
That’s before we even get to the numerous shootouts, explosions and adrenaline-fuelled fights, including a couple of absolute belters involving Kane Kosugi.
The second fight with Kosugi is particularly memorable, with Harris having to fend off multiple goons while simultaneously dealing with this complete tornado of a villain. It’s blistering stuff, and the choreography is an absolute joy to watch.
Both performers are working their asses off, delivering the kind of physical action that reminds you exactly why these guys have remained such reliable names in the genre.
What makes these sequences even more impressive is the continuous-take approach. It’s one thing to choreograph a fight between two accomplished martial artists, but when you’ve got additional performers, camera movements and surrounding action to coordinate, the difficulty increases considerably.
Everything needs to come together at precisely the right moment, and the results are spectacular.
There’s a huge amount of effort involved in making this look effortless, and Nunn deserves enormous credit for pulling it off.
A really interesting decision was to have Harris working alongside a team. Rather than simply throwing him into another situation where he has to survive waves of troops, we get a proper tactical unit operating together, giving the film a slightly different feeling and adding on some new age military vibes action fans are loving these days.
Nunn uses this as an opportunity to rack up an impressive body count, delivering a bloody good shootout packed with explosions, flying bullets and plenty of carnage. The scene with the IED lights the fuse for the action. It’s a fantastic sequence that makes excellent use of the military setting while maintaining the franchise’s relentless momentum.
Nunn has also roped in the trusty hands of Dolph Lundgren, who takes on more of a mentoring role this time around. Dolph isn’t here to trade punches with Adkins or unleash his own personal brand of destruction. He provides a commanding presence as a mentor figure who knows he’s got an absolute killing machine at his disposal, think Trautman to Rambo.
It is always great seeing Lundgren involved in projects like this, and his presence adds another familiar face to an already impressive action cast.
Steven Cree takes on villain duties as Elliot Carter, a rogue soldier whose actions threaten to plunge the world into chaos. Carter has his reasons for doing what he does, and there’s a personal connection to Harris that gives their conflict some additional weight. At the end of the day, though, he’s still a bad guy through and through.
Cree completely owns the role, delivering a strong performance that gives the film a credible antagonist. He understands exactly what kind of movie he’s in and makes the most of his opportunity to bring this character to life.
One Last Shot is another outstanding entry in a franchise that continues to deliver exactly what I want from modern action cinema. Nunn’s direction, the ambitious camera work and Adkins’ commitment to the physical demands of these films make for a relentless 97 minutes of explosive entertainment.
One Last Shot is a fun, adrenaline-fuelled action movie loaded with fights, explosions and some genuinely memorable sequences. It delivers everything we’ve come to expect from Nunn, who once again leaves you hungry for more. Another reference there, and if you’re lost, check out the man’s filmography. Nope, I’m not trying to bait you. Actually, take a look!
Adkins has made Jake Harris an action hero worth remembering, and while this could potentially be the final chapter, I’d happily watch him endure another three increasingly ridiculous days from hell.
Explosive action, jaw-dropping fights and some outstanding technical filmmaking. This is James Nunn and Scott Adkins doing what they do best.
Five stars. Easily.
All we need now is a One Shot deluxe edition with all three movies cut together!
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