One Fast Move: Review
By Nitsi Penaherrera
Fresh off the world of Riverdale, KJ Apa sports a buzz cut and steps into trouble when you first meet him in One Fast Move, and without his companion, the bike he is passionately dedicated to. Although the trailer doesn’t do it much justice, jumping into this film blindly made for unexpected turns on the track and beyond the two central characters. In a shift in the story, Wes (Apa) attempts to reconnect with his estranged father, Dean, played by Eric Dane (Euphoria, Grey's Anatomy, The Last Ship), a vehement ex-champion wash-up of the sport. It begins a newfound bonding venture, to revisit Wes's attachment to racing after his time in a military prison. An unlikely bond on-screen shows the contrast between Eric Dane and KJ Apa delights in with the dynamic throughout the entire movie, constructing another try at the father-son bond, which could be considered as a redemption arc for both.
Apa’s misfit-down-on-his-luck disposition offers the audience another performance by KJ that makes you root for the underdog. Dean warms up to Wes rather quickly, training him and taking the misfit under his wing with sound advice on how to ride, but acting with parental guidance - as best as Dean seems morally culpable. Throughout the movie, Wes meets Camila, a local waitress at a diner played marvelously by Maia Reficco (Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin, Do Revenge), becoming a centerpiece for Wes to find more sentiments rather than hatred and remorse for past errors. Though there’s a renewed fatherly figure that encapsulates Eric Dane’s Dean, it plays an abrupt role, causing a crash between the two because of Wes’ past that still lies right under his skin.
There evolves tension and pressure off the track, which directs into the track forcing issues that cannot be fixed with a spin around the track. While discovering his footing in the real world, Wes makes decisions that morph into more harm than good.
Other prominent characters, such as a remarkably likable bike shop owner, Abel, played by the impeccable Edward James Olmos, as a guiding light for both Wes and Dean, while stealing scenes for being a nurturing soul, and one that offers a remembrance of humanity. This movie delivers an insight of stronger hustles, while also keeping the drive and devotion alive. For any enthusiast of a bike and racing, the film shows the limitations of the sport, which is a battered and bruised legacy, but with hope and passion; anyone can cross the finish line. The film adds an abundance of lessons that are retained even if somebody never steps foot on a racetrack, but a dynamic that is rewarding and constructs the movie with a devotion to the possibilities of rekindling. Adding charm to the film was the cinematography, and directing by Senior Love Triangle's Kelly Blatz, who gave a front row of the absolute heart of the race.
One Fast Move releases August 8, 2024 on Amazon Prime.