One False Move is a 1992 American crime thriller film directed by Carl Franklin and written by Billy Bob Thornton and Tom Epperson.

After stopping at a convenience store, a state trooper pulls over and attempts to arrest Ray and Pluto but Fantasia kills him as she is asked to get out of the car.

Word of the trooper's murder gets to the detectives in Star City, and the trio review surveillance photos of Ray and Fantasia in the store confirming their identity.

After tense conversation, they make a deal: Lila will lure Ray and Pluto to ensure their arrest and in exchange, Dale will help her leave town.

[1] Beaton and Myron, who owned the rights to One False Move, were impressed by Franklin’s “maturity” and his understanding of the film’s subtexts of race relations, the conflicts between city and country life and gender issues.

The website's consensus reads: "One False Move makes nary a misstep as it unfurls a seedy caper with hard-hitting action and sly humor, marking an arresting debut for director Carl Franklin.

[3] Writing for The Washington Post, Hal Hinson praised the film: "'One False Move' is a thriller with a hair-trigger sense of tension.

Directed by newcomer Carl Franklin, its power comes from the stripped-down simplicity of its style and the unblinking savagery of its violence.

He starts with an extraordinary screenplay and then finds the right tones and moods for every scene, realizing it's not the plot we care about, it’s the people.