One False Move, directed by Carl Franklin, starts off as a typical crime story but evolves into something far more poignant and heartfelt.
The film begins with three criminals, Ray (Billy Bob Thornton), Pluto (Michael Beach), and Fantasia (Cynda Williams), robbing money and cocaine and killing six people in Los Angeles over the course of one night. They set out for Houston, where they plan to sell the cocaine to one of Pluto’s acquaintances. Detectives Dud Cole (Jim Metzler) and McFeely (Earl Billings) of the Los Angeles Police Department are investigating the case, and they learn that the trio might make a pit stop in Star City, Arkansas. They get in touch with Star City’s police chief, Dale Dixon (Bill Paxton), who is ecstatic and looking forward to working with the LAPD cops to solve the case. Dale is a family man who has spent his entire life in a tiny town where not much happens, and most of his police work consists of resolving people’s domestic concerns. As a result, he is eager to undertake some genuine police work and pursues the case with zeal, leading to mockery and belittlement from the city cops, who consider him naïve and an amateur. When Dale learns that Fantasia is Lila Walker, a girl from the same town, it brings back painful memories and a secret he’s been hiding for a long time.
The screenplay for One False Move, written by Billy Bob Thornton and Tom Epperson, is a straightforward crime drama that succeeds due to the rich and nuanced representation of its characters. This extensive character development paves the way for several nail-biting sequences. For instance, on their way to Houston, the trio stop at a convenience store, where Ray and Fantasia go shopping for food while Pluto waits patiently in the car. Suddenly, a police officer enters the store, sending Ray into a frenzy because the three are wanted fugitives for multiple murders. Now, Ray’s personality is such that he is erratic, impatient, and impulsive, and his only strategy in times of stress is to pull out the gun and shoot. So, the writers put him in a position where he has to do something completely against his nature, like keeping his head down and quietly walking away. Hence, the drama is intensified by the uncertainty of whether he will exit the store peacefully or revert to his first instinct and shoot the police officer. On the other hand, Pluto has the polar opposite personality to Ray: he is calm, patient, intelligent, and carefully considers his options before acting. Later in the film, he, too, is placed in an untenable situation with his drug dealer acquaintance, which is totally at odds with his character, forcing him to make an impulsive decision that leads to a tense showdown.
The third act, which is incredibly well-written and executed, raises the film to a higher level by diving deeper into Dale’s character, particularly his past. Initially, it was solely about Dale wanting to demonstrate his abilities to do actual police work and impress the city cops. But as the story progresses and the shades of gray in his character come to light, the stakes grow more personal, and yet we still find ourselves empathizing and rooting for him, especially during the heartbreaking climactic scene. Bill Paxton’s performance is the highlight due to the depth with which he portrays a wide range of emotions, from goofy to enthusiastic to vulnerable to a guy who must confront guilt from his past mistakes.
One False Move is a Southern neo-noir with a rich texture that explores power dynamics, past mistakes, and violence. It is also one of the most underrated crime films of the 1990s.
One False Move movie links: IMDB
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