Carl Franklin’s One False Move: An ending no one expected

Carl Franklin’s One False Move showcases Dale, an Arkansas police sheriff, helping solve a case regarding three criminals in the area: Fantasia, who we find out is the mother of his son, Lenny, and Ray. I thought Lenny and Ray’s opening scene in the film to be gruesome and horrific. The opening scene was confusing because, as soon as the movie started, there was action and no background context. I remember when I first saw this, I had to almost look away for a second because the film truly is action-packed and graphic. I think out of all of the characters in One False Move; I thought Dale was the most complex yet pure character. When we first meet Dale in the very first few scenes, he is a picture-perfect man. He has a picture-perfect wife and kids and a gorgeous house in the countryside. However, we find at the end of the film that Dale had previous relations with Fantasia and is the father of her child. Dale stated in the film, “I don't have the legal authority.” to which Fantasia responds with, “You didn't have the legal authority to fuck me when I was 17 years old... but that didn't stop you, did it?” I thought that Fantasia was especially sharp when she said this line because she understood what happened in their past and owned up to it in the end, unlike Dale. Fantasia further makes Dale aware that he is the father of her child by stating, “That's why I kind of look white. Because my daddy was white. You figured since I kind of look white, you could fuck me, what the hell... Because I was kind of black... you could dump me; what the hell.” I thought this part of the film was heart-wrenching, to say the least, because Fantasia’s character is played so well that you can feel her emotion in this scene. At the very end of the movie, Dale meets his son, and what makes this scene so compelling is that Dale never says he is the boy’s father but rather simply talks to him and even begs the question as to if his last moments alive he was talking to his son so he had no regrets. I also wonder what the storyline might be like if Dale had told the boy he was his father. I wondered after the film if Dale had survived and if he grew to have a connection at the bare minimum with the boy. I found this scene to be so pure because Dale is painfully dying but still manages to talk to the boy. I think overall, Dale’s character is forged in this scene because I did not like his character after I found out he did not make the effort to get to know or establish a relationship with his son for 5 years. Fantasia offers Dale a piece of cake, revealing that she celebrated all 5 years of their son’s birthday in one night. I thought this scene took my breath away and was heartbreaking. Ultimately, I think Carl Franklin’s One False Move is a must-see for anyone and is simply a brilliant movie despite an ending no one expected.