ONE SHOT

The near massacre of a bus full of school children is foiled by a man known simply as Vijay. The school children's death warrant was issued by the corrupt politician Walisundara. But now he focuses his anger and revenge on Vijay, actions which will eventually bring out the vigilante in hiding named One-Shot.

ONE SHOT is written and directed by Ranjan Ramanayake, produced by Soma Edirisinghe and stars non other than Ranjan Ramanayake (One-Shot/Vijay), Wilson Karunaratne (Walisundara) and Anarkali Akarsha (Shereen). The supporting cast includes Anton Jude, Rex Kodippile, Kanchana Mendis and Menike Aththanayake with special guest appearances by Anoja Weerasinghe and Ravindra Randeniya.

Once in awhile a film comes along that purely blows you away. THE SIXTH SENSE, THE MATRIX and in recent times THE DARK KNIGHT are examples of brilliantly crafted films. If these films fall into one end of the spectrum, then at the very opposite end is ONE SHOT. This film is mind blowing in a completely "bad" way.

The plot seems to have been created by a ten year old. It is the mixture of an exaggerated 1980's Hindi film and a patronizing speech given by a fake patriot. In a nutshell, Walisundara orders a bus load of innocent kids to be slaughtered as means to gain more votes. Vijay (a.k.a. One-Shot) saves the day by performing a stunt even Tarzan would be envious of. Walisundara retaliates by humiliating and assaulting Vijay. Walinsundara's daughter, Shereen falls in love with Vijay. The origin of One-Shot is revealed. The couple practically elopes and finally Vijay does his lover proud by killing her father. What more could you ask for in a Ramanayake plot.

The opening credits of the film said "Story, Dialogue, Script and Direction by Ranjan Ramanayake." Could someone please inform Mr. Ramanayake that he needn't blow his own horn too hard because no one in their right mind would take credit for a story like this. The narrative is pathetically infantile and the references to corrupt actions of Sri Lankan politicians are blatant. The lack of complexity in the story is clearly evident. It's as if the film was made by a child, for children. The story has been clearly designed in between scenes of Ramanayake taking his shirt off and modeling. The humour is painful and proves that the comedy genre is de-evolving in Sri Lankan cinema. ONE SHOT displays immature slapstick comedy, where a character falling on his face is still considered funny. To prove this fact here is my official count; number of times characters farted = 2, number of times characters urinated in fear of One-Shot = 5 and number of times male characters kissed One-Shot in fear = 7. (Not including the " GODFATHER style hand kissing scene")

This film is unique in the fact that the dialogue is completely devoid of subtext. Any book on screenwriting for beginners will state that the inclusion of subtext in the dialogue is what enriches a story. I guess Ramanayake didn't read that book(s). Subtext is replaced by transparent preaching to the audience. There are three different characters that look into the camera and directly address the audience. This spoon feeding of the story is insulting to viewers. Why do nearly all "Sri Lankan Commercial Film Directors" assume that their audiences are idiots and that the message of the movie must be forced fed? The story moves from scenes of babyish comedy to scenes of utter bloodshed. A proper tone for the film is never established. This callous method of storytelling shows the screenwriter's lack of creativity and imagination.

The cinematography is trivial. The pointless zooming in and out as a visual effect is annoying and the slow jerky zooming in a number of scenes is unprofessional. What really stands out like a sore thumb is the use of ridiculous sound effects to induce comedy in many scenes. I felt bombarded by these dim-witted sounds throughout the entire film.

YU! YU! YU!

Some have honed the art of Method Acting, others have practiced Expressionist Acting but it is only Ranjan Ramanayake who has perfected the art of Over Acting. He does it so well in fact; all the actors in the film have adopted his unique style. Even thespians such as Anoja Weerasinghe and Menike Aththanayake who are considered exceptional method actresses have tried the "Ran-Ram Method." I could probably write a short story on how bad the acting in this film is but I shall give you the condensed version. Wilson Karunaratne's acting is as always similar to The Incredible Hulk with a beard and a sarong. Rex Kodippile exhibits less emotions and facial expressions than Frankenstein. Kanchana Mendis proves that the only requirement to becoming a Sri Lankan actress is having the ability to cry and wail like a Banshee. Menike Aththanayake's parody of Chandrika Kumaranatunga is forgettable. Anton Jude's character is the clichéd sidekick, also known as Half-Shot. Anarkali Akarsha gives hope to all the burgeoning bimbos of Sri Lanka with her trademark Singlish dialogue and retarded smile. But it is Ranjan Ramanayake who truly steals the show. This character has been tailor made to highlight Ramanayake's lack of expressive intensity and at the same time highlight his man-breasts. He desperately tries to appear cool and noble but ends up being stilted and aloof. But then again acting like a stiff is his forte.

There are so many things wrong in this film; it's difficult to disregard them all. This is why I have compiled a Top 5 "Mistakes-Made by the Director" List. 

5. Choosing a wardrobe similar to that of a Gay Pirate.

4. Making a full length feature film just so you can flex your muscles and sport your wigs on camera

3. Shamelessly believing you have a talent for screen writing and directing.

2. Deluding yourself into thinking you are comparable to Vijay Kumaranatunga and/or Jesus Christ by including a ridiculous crucifixion scene.

1. Violating International Music Copyrights and Intellectual Property Laws by stealing:
- Bailamos – Enrique Iglesias
- "Terminator 2: Judgement Day" score music – Brad Fiedel (Composer), James Cameron (Producer)

-"Mission Impossible" theme music – Lalo Schifrin (Composer), Bruce Geller (Creator).
-Song from "Asoka"- Sunidhi Chouhan (Vocals), Anu Malik (Composer).

The alarming fact is that ONE SHOT is the Highest Grossing film in Sri Lankan Box Office history. This is a wake up call for the cinema audiences of Sri Lanka to demand better films from our filmmakers. In my opinion I have never witnessed such a cinematic travesty, then again I still haven't seen Ramanayake's third film entitled LEADER. A wise man once said "I have seen better film on teeth," which is why I confer on ONE SHOT the inaugural rating of:

Rating: 0/5
S. V. Fernando