User Reviews

Directed by Carl Franklin and written by Billy Bob Thornton and Tom Epperson, 'One False Move' is a thriller starring Cynda Williams, Billy Bob Thornton, Bill Paxton, Michael Beach,etc.

Although the film on the surface is another drug deal gone wrong type thriller with violence and blood, but it has a lot going on beneath the violence of the criminal activities portrayed on screen. The script deals with the themes of the contrast between the country and the city, racism and the mask that many people wear to hide the complexities of their lives and their past. Somehow all these themes come together in the most seamless and nuanced manner to enhance the poignancy of the film. The plot reminded me of Richard Brooks' 'In Cold Blood'. It has a similar structure of criminals on the road trying to evade the law while the police is making plans to bring them in.

The acting is very good from all involved. Many of the characters in the film are not what they might appear to be initially. I have to individually mention Bill Paxton and Cynda Williams for showing a lot of range by playing character, the perceptions for whom change radically in the viewer's mind with the revealing of new facts about their past.

I have already mentioned that the script is layered, but even then this could have become a standard crime-thriller with no depth. Carl Franklin actually underlined the themes in the script by putting more emphasis on the characters, their behaviour and their past than just the violence of the criminal activities. The film ends on an optimistically in a subtle way. But personally I would have probably ended the film on a bleaker note to go with the subtext of the film. But the ending to the film still works as a hopeful message.

This modern film noir pits three violent criminals on the run from a violent drug rip-off against two LA cops aided by a rural sheriff. The trio of bad-guy consists of a white-trash loser (Thornton), his African-American girlfriend (Williams), and their high-IQ, sociopath friend (Beach) also black. After committing multiple murders in California they high-tail to Thornton's and Williams' hometown of Star, Arkansas to lay-low. Their journey across the backroads of Texas is fraught with danger, (it's not like they don't stand out) and unbeknownst to them, the cops are waiting....

Very well done without the "look at me I'm so realistic" dialogue too often found in this much copied genre. One of the best of its kind, well worth the rental.

Boy, this film takes me back to the jerkwater Arkansas town where I spent several years of my youth. Bill Paxton (Aliens, True Lies, "Big Love") is spot on as a cracker sheriff who, in his words, hasn't drawn his gun in six years on the job. Well, he drew his gun seven years ago and it has now come back to haunt him and put him in a position that could get him killed.

Billy Bob Thornton (A Simple Plan, Sling Blade, Astronaut Farmer), Arkansas born himself, co-wrote and starred in this film and really pulls off the psycho robber with such perfection that I really cannot understand how a supposedly intelligent guy like "Pluto" (Michael Beach - Short Cuts, "Third Watch," "ER") could hook up with him, especially since they spent two years in jail after the last job. Joining the duo, was Cynda Williams (Mo' Better Blues) in her second film, as Fantasia/Lila. She did a super job.

As the trio heads to Houston from L.A. the body count rises and the Sheriff is put into a position where he has to act alone. False moves throughout the film just add to the tension and excitement.

I watched this film in 1991 and I still think about it frequently. It has become a standard to compare other films. The violence at the beginning made me uncomfortable, and I almost turned it off. I am glad that I didn't, because I would have missed one of the best films of the decade. The movie's pace and tone are perfectly natural - not artificial in any way. I like the scene in the diner best. The two LA cops are joking with each other about the backward local sheriff (Paxton), and they didn't know he was standing there. The awkwardness of the moment encapsulated the film.

I think One False Move, Fargo, and The Sweet Herafter are a great trilogy of movie making at its best. All set in small - real towns with real people.

Bloody, ruthless and very interesting early writing success for Billy Bob Thornton. After a drug buy goes bad, Ray(Thornton)and Pluto(Michael Beach)with pretty Fantasia(Cynda Williams)in tow head from California to Star City, Arkansas. Waiting there in the middle of nowhere is the local sheriff Bill Paxton and he is eager to go from small time to the big time. With or without the help of a couple of L.A.'s finest on the case, the young sheriff is out to prove himself. The finale is a burst of action. Also in the cast are Jim Metzler and Earl Billings. Billy Bob, with pony tail and all, will be no disappointment for his fans.

I have seen this movie twice. The first time, for the whole movie I was on the edge of my seat. This was an intense film. From the extremely brutal beginning to the climatic end, I couldn't relax once. I did notice the fact that race played no factor; all colors were represented on both sides. In 1992, I had seen over fifty movies at the theater so I put together a top ten list and this movie made it easily. Since I knew how the movie would play out, on my second viewing I was able to look for other things. This time I noticed though the thrilling aspects of the film were used to set the movie in motion, underneath there was an examination of big city meets rural town. Amazingly, the main characters weren't treated as stereotypes. Each character (I count six) was fleshed out but not too much. There were no judgments on which life was better or any advantages or disadvantages to either style of living. In a lot of ways the film reminded me of John Sayles' movies. In other words a movie that a lot of thought went into making it. A great film.

A sweetly innocuous small town gets a visit from some big time hoods and local sheriff Bill Paxton wants in on the bust, much to the annoyance of the two L.A. cops trailing them. But soon there is much more going on than a crime story. The sheriff's ex is traveling with the goons and her personal history with the sheriff then serves to fog up an otherwise straightforward pursuit. Motives and loyalties are questioned, temptations arise and personal drama takes the foreground. This second act shift from crime story to relationship drama is what gives the movie its power and makes it memorable and unusual. Too often, crime thrillers have tacked on romantic subplots that just clutter things up, but here the relationship and its fall-out are inextricable from the plot and are in fact pushing it ahead. The proceedings feel authentic and the drama has power rooted in that emotional authenticity. Cynda Williams is particularly good as the ex; she doesn't just appear in the movie, she haunts it. Her strong presence and her emotional history with the sheriff pervade and color everything that comes after her first appearance and she becomes the key figure and the great enigma at the center of the drama.

I liked the dusty-but-harmless look of the small Arkansas town, and the way everybody in it manages to convey normalcy without being dull. This shows good writing and quality work on the part of the minor players. The whole movie is a testament to putting quality in the details. There are few false notes struck here, a rare thing for a low budget crime drama.

stumbled on this while scrolling through fearnet on demand. Its not a horror but a well-paced action-thriller about ruthless drug dealers traveling across country from LA to Arkansas. Billybob Thornton is riveting as the unpredictable, volatile crackhead while Bill Paxton is the easy going country boy-made -good sheriff who has never had to use his gun before and gets a thrill out of helping out the LA fuzz apprehend Thornton and his accomplices. Throw in a prior "relationship/paternity situation" between Paxton and Thornton's girlfriend/moll and this ends up being far superior to your average cops and robbers showdown. It had a great 90's feel to it with the complete absence of modern devices like cell phones, everyone puffing away on cigarettes like there was no tomorrow and some very un-PC language and references. In these sort of movies, endings usually disappoint but I felt this tied up everything perfectly and there was no over-dramatization which is what the director sometimes feels like he has to do.

It sucks that it takes the death of an actor to remind you that you still haven't watched something, but that's how it was with the passing of Bill Paxton, which reminded me that I still had somehow overlooked "One False Move", despite wanting to see it since it came out, when Siskel and Ebert were raving about it for what seemed like months.

They were right to rave about it. "One False Move" is a tightly wound, taut, masterfully acted and powerfully suspenseful film. It's also written with a precision and level of realistic detail lacking in so many screenplays. I had forgotten, as I feel the entire world has, just how great of a writer Billy Bob Thornton was once upon a time. This might be his greatest screenplay, in fact. The plot (about three criminals fleeing L.A. after robbing and killing a drug dealer, heading to Arkansas to hide out) moves forward with the ruthless momentum of a shark, and with just as much bite. The opening is one of the most brutal sequences I've seen in quite some time, and the violence that erupts in the rest of the film is just as brutal. Carl Franklin directs with a lean, muscular hand. The violence occurs as it seems to in reality, seemingly out of nowhere and with surprising impact. Every death hits with a hell of a punch, you feel virtually every stab and gunshot. The characters are drawn with a fascinating level of insight and detail, and every detail feels just right. Even the most violent and despicable of people in this movie is treated with respect and is intriguing, and we really get to know them and what makes them tick. Aside from the acts of violence, this movie is filled with powerfully rendered little moments that feel as natural as overhearing a conversation or catching up with an old friend.

The biggest joy of this movie is, unsurprisingly, getting to know Bill Paxton's Dale "The Hurricane" Dixon, the chief of police of a small Arkansas town that three vicious criminals seem to be heading toward like a particularly nasty storm front, leaving a trail of corpses in their wake. Paxton is vibrant and electric here. He's utterly charming, but he's much more than he initially seems and Paxton gets to hit those notes of complexity with grace and a natural, easygoing nature. It doesn't feel like an actor playing a character, it just feels like the filmmakers trained a camera on this guy and told him to be himself. Paxton usually gets to play either a good ol' boy or a dirtbag. This character allows him to play a bit of both, and also to reveal acting muscles that those unfamiliar with his less popular work (see "Frailty", for God's sake) may not know he possessed. This is perhaps his greatest performance, although he's excellent in "Frailty" and "Big Love" as well. It's a magnificent character, and Paxton brings it fully, forcefully to vivid life.

Cynda Williams, Billy Bob Thornton and Michael Beach are likewise excellent here. All of them are magnetic to watch, even though Paxton really does run away with this movie. But the real power of the film is seeing how it unfolds, the unexpected avenues it takes and the little touches and moments that bring it to life and make it feel a bit more like Real Life than most films of this ilk. It feels like a Coen Brothers movie in subject matter and, occasionally, the thrilling ways that Franklin moves the camera. But, I daresay, the Coens would never quite bring the level of verisimilitude to the tale that Franklin and Thornton do. That's no knock against the Coens, who are among my favorite directors, but "One False Move" is so uncommonly gripping and observant, in a way that the glorious, artful playgrounds of the Coens never quite are. It's not better, it's just a different vibe, and one that really makes this movie come alive in an extraordinary way.

I usually don't watch movies on Crackle because the commercials that are interjected every fifteen minutes or so bug me, but I'm glad I did this time. "One False Move" is, unfortunately, out of print and it's nowhere to be found on other streaming services. Thank God that Crackle is at least making this forgotten treasure available to be seen. Take my advice, brave the commercials (they don't edit content, at least) and watch "One False Move". It really is an amazing film.

I think this movie was made outside mainstream by some little studio . I expected some cheap B-thriller and I was pleasantly surprised. It's a solid thriller . It's not a movie driven by twists, but by characters . It succeeds , because the direction is top notch . The director was able to create some unnerving moments of true tension and when the violence kicks in it's a really painful (emotionally ) experience. This is more of a character driven story not by twists.

Also , almost the whole movie resolves around Bill Pulman ("Predator 2") as a Redneck sheriff . He's adorable . There is so much passion in him , a child like naivety and easy going personality . Later in the movie he shows he's darker , more mature side.

The other actors give solid support to Pullman . I have to mention Michael Beach who really seems to be cold blooded psycho and good performance by Billy Bob Thornton (who is also the writer of the movie).

I give it 7/10.

ONE FALSE MOVE (1992) **** Bill Paxton, Cynda Williams, Billy Bob Thornton, Michael Beach, Earl Billings, Jem Metzler, Natalie Canerday. Carl Franklin made his directorial debut with this swiftly paced and excellently executed tale of a crime spree from Los Angeles to a small Arkansas town with intriguing characters of cops and criminals in this above-average road film. One gem of a sleeper and suspenseful script by Tom Epperson and co-star Thornton.

In Los Angeles, after a violent drug rip-off, the Los Angeles Police Department detectives find the identity of the trio – the sadistic I.Q. of 150 and college graduate Lenny "Pluto" Franklyn (Michael Beach); his not so bright buddy in San Quentin Ray Malcolm (Billy Bob Thornton); and his girlfriend Fantasia (Cynda Williams). Their further investigation indicates that the criminals are fleeing to Star City, Arkanas, and LAPD detective Dud Cole (Jim Metzler) and his partner John McFeely (Earl Billings) contact the local Chief of Police Dale 'Hurricane' Dixon (Bill Paxton) and they head to the little town. The yokel family man Dale, who is used to resolve domestic issues, is fascinated with the chance to participate of a manhunt and befriends the two detectives. But when he sees the picture of Fantasia, he recognizes her as Lila Walker and is haunted by his past, hiding a secret about Lila Walker.

"One False Move" is a little gem from the 90's and one of the best in the genre neo-noir. The first time I saw this film was on VHS in the early 90's, but now I have the chance of buying the DVD and watching it again. The dramatic story written by Billy Bob Thornton and Tom Epperson is engaging and without redemption. Cynda Williams, in her second film, is awesome but Bill Paxton "steals" the film in the role of a bragger hillbilly and chief of police that sees the chance of his life of arresting real criminals but meets his past instead. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Um Passo em Falso" ("One False Step")

The stage curtains open ...

I just saw this movie for the first time tonight, 26 years after it was made. And even though this movie is already a 1/4 of a century old, it still holds up and resonates well. A solid crime story with 3 deadly, big city killers finding themselves in small town america. The story centers around Lila Walker (Cynda Williams) on one side, and Police Chief Dale Dixon (Bill Paxton) on the other. Lila, her boyfriend Ray (Billy Bob Thornton), and Pluto (Michael Beach) decide to steal a store of drugs and cash, leaving 6 dead bodies in their wake. The authorities think they are heading back to Star City, Arkansas where Lila has family, so they contact Dixon to give him the heads up. However, there is a common thread that runs between Lila and Dixon as the plot runs much deeper than we initially believe.

Bill Paxton is solid in his portrayal of the small town police chief, a good ol' boy with a chance to have a real case to work on in a town where nothing beyond the crimes of domestic disturbances or breaking the speed limit occur. In fact, we learn in all the time he has been police chief of Star City, he's never once had to draw his gun. The direction is tight and the pacing excellent. There are no boring parts in the movie. It is pretty violent and raw in its depiction of the characters and their plight with the only drawback being the overuse of harsh language to try and drive home the point of how ruthless and out of control they are.

I enjoyed this film - it was a surprise to me and I wonder how it is that I've missed out on seeing it for all these years. But, better late than never - and I would certainly watch it again.

One False Move is directed by Carl Franklin and co-written by Billy Bob Thornton and Tom Epperson. It stars Thornton, Bill Paxton, Cynda Williams and Michael Beach. Music is by Peter Haycock, Derek Holt and Terry Plumeri and cinematography by James L. Carter.

Three criminals, Ray (Thornton), Fantasia (Williams) and Pluto (Beach), are on the run from LA. after a drug heist ends in a bloodbath. Heading for Star City, Arkansas, the three are oblivious to the fact that the law, both local and of L.A., is lying in wait for them.

One time actor Carl Franklin has good standing as a director in neo-noir circles, his Devil in a Blue Dress (1995) and Out of Time (2003) had the benefit of starring Denzel Washington, with the former often thought of as an undervalued treasure. Neither of those films, in my opinion, comes close to the excellence of One False Move. A superbly understated thriller that oozes fatalism while studying the characters at hand. Beginning with brutal attention grabbing violence, picture unfurls as a road movie until it reveals itself fully in the town of Bleakville. Franklin and his writers slowly open up the story to reveal an emotionally complex thriller, bleeding the flaws from the main players with clinical glee. These be a mix of classic losers, psychotics, redemption seekers and a naive dreamer, and there's a link from the past that's going to impact devastatingly on the present.

Modelled on a High Noon good guys Vs bad guys like destiny, narrative also has little observations on racism and the class divide between big city America and small town Americana. Sly little reveals in the script such as a policeman's alcohol problem show good attention to detail by the makers. While Franklin has a wonderful way with his camera, only revealing enough for us to fill in the blanks, and often his camera is used as a character POV device, with close ups and cuts blending seamlessly with mood of the story. The cast are uniformly strong, with the stand outs Williams, Paxton and Thornton reaching down deep to give their respective characters some stunning grittiness, doling out sadness, misguidedness and rage with a believability that's as impressive as it is riveting to watch.

One of the best crime pictures of the 90s and an essential viewing for anyone interested in pure neo-noir. 9/10

After a gory, grisly start, this film turns into a riveting film about a desperate trio traversing the South to reach a small town called Star City. It should be mentioned that the early scenes are not gratuitous---they set a tone of gravity that pervades the film. And they define the characters in an unforgiving way, letting the viewer know exactly what they are capable of.

Billy Bob Thornton plays Ray Malcolm, the man giving the orders as the desperados drive on. Bill Paxton is Dale Dixon, the sheriff of a dusty Arkansas bus stop who secretly wishes for crimes of more import to shake up his predictable life. As the three criminals head his way, Dixon is chaperoning Dud Cole (Jim Metzler) and McFeely (Earl Billings), two L. A. cops who have come to Star City to set up a welcome for Ray Malcolm and friends.

The plot is simple, really. But the film has the gritty feeling of authenticity and plenty of acting that is perfectly understated. As improbable as it sounds, the depiction of Star City and its environs is so captivating in its credibility that one almost wants to suspend the action, to better know the people who live in its diners and drugstores and backyards.

The final scene could have had a more impactful ending, but that is one minor criticism.

This cult favorite degenerate cocaine crime caper starts out in what looks like South Central L.A and ends up in rural Arkansas. Directed by Carl Franklin from a script by Billy Bob Thornton, and starring Thornton, Bill Paxton, Cynda Williams, and Michael Beach, it begins with bloody bodies on the floor and ends with bloody bodies on the ground. There is some sprightly dialogue en route, some sharp editing, fine acting all around, and the dramatic tension is well maintained. We are intrigued by the clash of personalities and the degenerate hijinks. However, after awhile I began to feel that if they light up one more cigarette I will be forced to rip the pack from their hands, tear the stogies into shreds, and feed the debris to them with a large spoon. Also the standard quota of one thousand improvisations on the f-word was exceeded here. I am therefore condemning director Carl Franklin to an absurdist nightmare in which he dreams of getting scripts in the mail in which the dialogue for all characters consists of just that one word in its various grammatical forms, repeated for one hundred and twenty pages.

Paxton plays a small town sheriff in awe of the cops from the big city who is nonetheless intent on proving his manhood. (One of the cops, by the way, in a bit of prescient genius, looks a whole lot like former L.A. cop Mark Fuhrman before he got all those bags under his eyes.) Thornton is a kind of murderous cocaine-addled urban animal in a long greasy pigtail whose life has neither direction, purpose nor insight. Williams, whose primal sexiness will keep your eyes open even if it's two a.m., plays a chocolate strawberry who can kill when she has to. Beach is an icy cold-blooded knife murderer who spends his off-duty hours worshiping his well-muscled body and practicing squeaky-clean living. The familiar Billy Bob Thornton fascination with things country contrasted with things city is explored here and reminds us a little of A Simple Plan (1998) in which he also teamed up with Bill Paxton. This genre, which I might call "Grunge City gore," was morphed into an art form during the eighties and nineties in films from, e.g., Coen and Coen, Blood Simple (1984), David Lynch, Wild at Heart (1990), Quentin Tarantino, Reservoir Dogs (1992), Oliver Stone, Natural Born Killers (1994), and others. This is actually one of the better ones, but I think I need a break. Maybe a nice Disney favorite or something with Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks...or even something with Bette Midler and Whoopie Goldberg.

Then again, maybe NOT.

Incidentally, the reason all these films made especially during the late eighties and early nineties contain some much blood and guts and cigarette smoke is (1) Sex had become somewhat taboo because of the rise of AIDS, and so Hollywood switched to violence, and (2) The tobacco companies fronted money for films that promised to have a whole lot of puffing going on. Hopefully we are living in more enlightened times.

(Note: Over 500 of my movie reviews are now available in my book "Cut to the Chaise Lounge or I Can't Believe I Swallowed the Remote!" Get it at Amazon!)

Wow, that Cynda Williams is really, really hot. What on earth was she doing with Thornton? Oh, yeah, good for her career. Anyway, she does a fine job in this film, as do most of the rest of the cast. We all know Billy Bob Thornton can do sniveling evil, and he does it to good effect here. Michael Beach does a good change from his TV personae, and Bill Paxton pulls off his part pretty well. The whole film is racially charged, sometimes explicitly, and sometimes not. Perhaps this is to be expected in a film with six main characters, three black, and three white. Only some of the minor cops seemed unreal, like the Texas trooper who was obvious cannon fodder. Overall, this film is worth seeing, surprisingly good for a flick I'd never heard of until I taped it from cable. Grade: B-

Some of the worst dialogue I've heard in years. Every character is a stereotype, every plot point a cliche. Every line is delivered like a first reading.

I can't understand how this got such good reviews. I was embarrassed for everyone involved.

Billy Bob Thorton is a very talented man. Not only is he a fine actor, but he is a very good screenwriter. Bill Paxton and Michael Beach give fine performances in support of Thorton. But it is the screenplay, the shot sequences and the atmosphere of the film that are the real stars. This is a first-rate crime drama with all the bells and whistles. Paxton is very believable as a hick cop who tries to run with the pros from LA. And he is more than up to the task.

I did have trouble, however, buying into Thorton as a sleazy, bloodthirsty lowlife, and was not buying him as a romantic interest for a young beautiful woman with a brain. The character of Fantasia, played by Cynda WIlliams was well-defined, but I just could not buy her being attracted to Thorton's sleazeball character. Beach's character, on the other hand, was letter perfect. Don't miss this finely crafted piece of noir.