One Shot received mixed reviews from critics. It has a 59% approval rating on
Rotten Tomatoes based on 22 reviews, with an average score of 5.3/10. Dennis Harvey of
Variety gave the film a positive review and wrote, "Still, director James Nunn’s reunion with star Scott Adkins does effectively use that device to heighten immediacy in an effort that may not transcend their usual B-grade, adrenaline-fueled macho fare, but does bring some welcome novelty to the genre." Mark Peikert of
IndieWire graded the film a C and wrote, "Lacking the polish of other entries such as
Birdman and
1917,
One Shot feels like a first-person shooter video game with the camera reversed for once." Leslie Felperin of
The Guardian criticised the film for its "risibly cliched dialogue" and "wooden, poorly directed acting", but commended the technical aspects for its "crisp" digital technology and lighting, calling it "weirdly mesmeric as it is schlocky." Chris Knight of the
National Post was commendable towards the continuous shot technique being "well executed" but felt it wasn't enough to prevent the story from being "a little thin", concluding that "while it may in fact be possible to take something that is normally edited and present it in a single, breathless rush, it's not always the best idea to do so." ==References==