THERE is only one Jet Li, Hong Kong action superstar, except in The One where there are 123, although frankly one is more than enough.

The multifarious Lis are scattered around parallel universes, apparently because we all exist in multiverse form. (Oh for a second David Beckham right now.)

Sometime in the sci-fi future in James Wong's camp thriller-by-numbers, multiverse investigator Gabriel Yulaw (one Li) has illegally split himself 123 ways - presumably it's as easy as 1 2 3, as Michael Jackson used to squeak. Now the rogue is killing them off one by one, absorbing their strength as he goes about his baddie business, making him a Yulaw unto himself.

In the final countdown, there is only Yulaw and Los Angeles sheriff Gabe (Li at the double), the good guy who can't be distinguished from the wrong'un, particularly by a pair of multiverse law enforcers (Delroy Lindo and Jason Statham) on a mission to terminate him.

Li is all commotion in motion with no emotion, making his grandstanding martial arts fight with himself his only highlight. He is fast on his feet - Yulaw can out-run a truck, if it sticks to the 50mph speed limit - yet he is filmed in slow motion in the style of The Matrix, that special-effects style leader ripped off yet again with ever-diminishing impact.

Statham, meanwhile, swaps Lock Stock and Smoking Cockney for a laughable approximation of a Bruce Willis toughie, his humourless, absurdly serious performance making Vinnie Jones's earlier dips into Hollywood look like the work of an Olivier.

A tired old video game in film form, The One is not the one.

Updated: 09:18 Friday, April 12, 2002