---
title: "One Shot"
year: 2021
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/one-shot"
fi1m_id: "one-shot"
imdb_id: "tt14199590"
tmdb_id: 811592
wikidata_id: "Q109716480"
fi1m_score: 67
critics_score: 54
critics_reviews: 6
published: "2026-10-05T16:14:49.032009+00:00"
updated: "2026-10-05T16:14:49.416242+00:00"
region: "EC"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# One Shot (2021)

Directed by James Nunn · 1h 37m · Action, Thriller, Crime, War

## Identity

One Shot

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/one-shot
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** one-shot
- **IMDb ID:** tt14199590
- **TMDB ID:** 811592
- **Wikidata ID:** Q109716480
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14199590/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/811592, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q109716480

**Fi1m score: 67** · Critics 54 from 6 reviews

*In a sentence:* Scott Adkins keeps things moving, which is fortunate whenever somebody opens their mouth

> We recommend *One Shot* to action enthusiasts prepared to forgive thin characters and stiff dialogue. Scott Adkins and the continuous-shot choreography give the gun battles urgency, though repetition takes some of the force out of them.

## Synopsis

Jake Harris (Scott Adkins) is at the centre of a real-time action thriller built around sustained gun battles. Zoe Anderson (Ashley Greene), Jack Yorke (Ryan Phillippe) and Amin Mansur (William El-Gardi) share a story presented as one continuous shot, without conventional breaks between scenes. Gunfire and close-quarters fighting keep the emphasis on the immediate confrontation. Alongside the physical action, Mansur provides a more personal view of the people involved. The camera follows the unfolding events, making the time spent between fights part of the same apparently uninterrupted account.

## Review

James Nunn’s *One Shot* is a decent action thriller whose continuous-shot approach gives familiar gun battles enough pressure to hold our attention. It also makes the thin writing harder to ignore, since we have to sit through the dialogue on the way to the next fight. At 97 minutes, it asks a manageable amount of our evening. The strongest reason to give it that time is the care taken over the physical action.

The device works best when it makes us attend to the practical business of a fight. An apparently unbroken view asks the performers to sustain the action, and lets us judge their timing without a barrage of cuts doing the work for them. Liviu Jipescu’s editing helps maintain that continuity without making the joins the main attraction. We can enjoy the coordination without spending the entire film looking for where one take ends and another begins.

Scott Adkins is the chief beneficiary, because the approach gives his physical skill time to register. We were gripped by the close-quarters fighting: the movements are readable, and the sustained choreography gives us something more involving than another exchange of gunfire. He makes the effort of carrying these sequences look convincing without asking us to applaud the difficulty. There is considerable pleasure in watching a performer trusted to complete the work in front of the camera.

Jamie Russell’s screenplay gives the actors much less useful material when they speak. The dialogue is stiff, and too many characters seem to have been provided with just enough personality to get them into the next confrontation. Ashley Greene and Ryan Phillippe cannot do much to make that writing feel spontaneous. A stripped-down action thriller need not supply everybody with an elaborate history, but it should give us something to notice about them beyond their immediate function.

William El-Gardi’s Amin Mansur is the welcome exception. There is enough humanity in the portrayal to make us attend to a person rather than simply wait for the action to resume. That matters in a film whose other characters can feel so narrowly written. It also exposes a missed opportunity: more attention of this kind would have made the danger matter without requiring a longer running time or a pause for a speech.

Austin Wintory supplies the music, though the pressure comes most convincingly from the performers having to keep the action alive. The gun battles become repetitive, and continuous presentation cannot make every exchange equally interesting. Once we begin recognising the same dramatic purpose behind another stretch of shooting, the technique becomes easier to admire from a distance. The closer physical encounters restore some urgency because the timing and dexterity give us specific things to follow.

How much that compensates for the writing will depend on what brings us to an action film. There is enough skill here to reward an interest in choreography, and enough repetition to test anyone waiting for richer character work. The continuous-shot effect is worth experiencing without treating it as an achievement that settles every other question. Watch it for the performers doing difficult things together, and do not expect the dialogue to repay the same attention.

*Fi1m score 67, published 5 October 2026.*

## What the critics say

The reviews lean towards mixed on One Shot, with praise concentrated on the continuous-take effect and the physical work required to sustain it. Critics repeatedly admire the choreography, editing and technical control, even when the story fails to engage them. Scott Adkins’s dexterity draws particular approval, and several reviews find tension or excitement in the relentless action. There is broad agreement that the staging gives familiar action material some energy.

The divide concerns how much that craft compensates for thin writing, limited characterisation and repetition. The spread is wide: Eye for Film finds the action surprisingly moving and singles out Mansur’s humane, complex portrayal, making it the clearest enthusiast. HeyUGuys finds the film underdeveloped despite admiring the single-shot effect, while Radio Times sees the sustained gun battles as resembling a first-person video game. Most critics land between those positions, acknowledging the skill but finding less to sustain interest beyond it.

## Straight answers

**Is One Shot worth watching?**

*One Shot* is worth watching for action enthusiasts prepared to forgive thin characters and stiff dialogue; we score it 67 out of 100. Scott Adkins’s readable close-quarters fighting and the continuous-shot choreography hold our attention, though repetitive gun battles make it harder to recommend to anyone seeking much beyond physical skill.

**How long is One Shot, and what is it rated?**

*One Shot* runs 1h 37m. It is an action and thriller film.

**Where can I watch One Shot in Ecuador?**

*One Shot* is not on any streaming or rental service in Ecuador at the moment. It is available in 32 other countries; change your country at the top of the page to see where. Availability is checked daily.

**How violent or frightening is One Shot, and is it suitable for children?**

*One Shot* carries a UK 15 certificate and contains sustained gun battles and close-quarters fighting, making it unsuitable for children under 15. The apparently uninterrupted action keeps the pressure up; older teenagers comfortable with violent action are a more suitable audience, while the repeated shooting makes this a poor choice for the squeamish.

**How does One Shot compare to The Raid?**

*One Shot* is the more qualified recommendation beside [*The Raid*](https://film.one/film/the-raid), which we favour for its tightly staged fighting and Iko Uwais’s speed and clarity. Both have thin characters and some repetition, but those weaknesses intrude more in *One Shot*; its particular attraction is watching Scott Adkins sustain readable physical action within the continuous-shot approach.

**What should I watch after One Shot?**

After *One Shot*, try [*The Raid*](https://film.one/film/the-raid) (2011, Fi1m 83): Close-quarters fighting staged with clarity, stamina and a punishing physical commitment. Then [*'71*](https://film.one/film/71) (2014, Fi1m 82): Armed confusion and sustained danger, with a stronger sense of human vulnerability; and [*Victoria*](https://film.one/film/victoria) (2015, Fi1m 76): An unbroken take makes criminal danger feel awkwardly close and increasingly exhausting.

### Reviews we read (6)

- **Variety**, Dennis Harvey (65/100, inferred): Harvey finds the film energetic and reasonably tense, though it does not rise above familiar B-grade action fare. He praises the single-take conceit’s live-wire edge and Adkins’s strongest action sequences. [Read](https://variety.com/2021/film/reviews/one-shot-review-1235105614/)
- **IndieWire**, Mark Peikert (C): The review finds the film’s relentless action technically impressive but undermined by a thin narrative. It praises the one-take choreography and Scott Adkins’ dexterity, while criticizing the cardboard characters and stilted dialogue. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/one-shot-review-james-nunn-1234676487/)
- **The Guardian**, Leslie Felperin (50/100, inferred): Felperin finds the thriller both mesmeric and schlocky, with weak writing and acting. She praises its impressive continuous-take choreography and technical craft. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/jan/25/one-shot-review-mesmerically-schlocky-thriller-rendered-with-impressive-technique)
- **Radio Times**, Terry Staunton (2/5): The review describes a bare-bones action thriller whose relentless gun battles make the scenario resemble a first-person video game. It singles out the real-time presentation and bravura editing as the film’s chief gimmick. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-rejaid/one-shot/)
- **Eye for Film**, Jennie Kermode (82/100, inferred): Kermode finds the film exciting, surprisingly moving, and successful despite some rough edges. She singles out the committed fight performances and the complex, humane portrayal of Mansur. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/one-shot-2021-film-review-by-jennie-kermode)
- **HeyUGuys** (30/100, inferred): The critic finds the film an underdeveloped, repetitive action movie that needs more drafts and a larger budget. They praise the stitched-together single-shot effect and the focused hand-to-hand action near the end. [Read](https://www.heyuguys.com/one-shot-review/)

## Details

- **Director:** James Nunn
- **Director:** James Nunn
- **Writer:** Jamie Russell
- **Story:** James Nunn
- **Editor:** Liviu Jipescu
- **Music:** Austin Wintory
- **Producer:** Marc Goldberg, Ben Jacques
- **Cast:** Scott Adkins as Jake Harris; Ashley Greene as Zoe Anderson; Ryan Phillippe as Jack Yorke; Emmanuel Imani as Brandon Whitaker; Dino Kelly as Danny Dietler; Jack Parr as Lewis Ash; William El-Gardi as Amin Mansur; Terence Maynard as Tom Shields
- **Runtime:** 1h 37m
- **First release (the US):** 5 November 2021
- **Genres:** Action, Thriller, Crime, War
- **Box office:** $54 million
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PmV8GFrZzo

## Where to watch in Ecuador

Not streaming, renting or buying in Ecuador at the last check.

Also available in: AE, AR, AT, AU, BE, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EE, ES, FI, FR, HU, IT, JP, LT, MX, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PL, SE, TR, UA, US, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## If you liked this

- *Assault on Precinct 13* (1976): Tight action staging and sustained pressure, with more room for character.
- *The Raid* (2011), Fi1m 83: Close-quarters fighting staged with clarity, stamina and a punishing physical commitment. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-raid.md)
- *'71* (2014), Fi1m 82: Armed confusion and sustained danger, with a stronger sense of human vulnerability. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/71.md)
- *Victoria* (2015), Fi1m 76: An unbroken take makes criminal danger feel awkwardly close and increasingly exhausting. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/victoria.md)
- *The Guilty* (2018): Real-time pressure with fewer weapons, built from voices and uncomfortable decisions.

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/one-shot