Directed by: Ang Lee
Release date: October 11th, 2019
Rating: 5/10
Gemini Man is the latest Ang Lee film, which comes from an almost 20 year old script that has been passed over and struggled to be made for years. Will Smith plays Henry Brogan, an aging assassin for the U.S. government on the edge of retirement. He leaves the business behind, only to find that the government he had worked for for 30 years had made a clone of him, intended to have all of Brogan’s skills and not his conscience. When the government decides that Brogan is too dangerous to be left to retire, he must battle against himself for survival.
This movie has a lot going for it. The concept is interesting enough to get me into the theater, but unfortunately, even with 20 years to tweak and work on the script, it falls short of the expectations I had going into it. While competent and entertaining, it brings nothing new to the table. Yes, the concept of a younger clone, while not new, hasn’t been seen on the big screen for some time, if at all; but besides that, the film is predictable and almost boring. The action scenes, while sometimes plagued by wonky CGI, are the best part of the movie. Even though it doesn’t feel as real as possible, the fighting is brutal for a PG-13 movie and makes for an entertaining watch.
Smith does a great job playing both his older and younger self, in fact none of the actors did a bad job, I would say they were serviceable at worst. Benedict Wong, an amazing actor, feels slightly wasted in this film though (just as he feels wasted in the MCU so far). Clive Owen is serviceable, as I said before, but I feel like his role could have been played by just about anyone. (Side note: I think I heard his English accent come through a few times).
Of course with a film like this I have to talk about the CGI. For the most part, young Will Smith looks alright. There are some scenes where it looks a little off but there are others where I almost forgot it was a digital face. There are action scenes where use full body CGI models are used and, while believable, are very clearly CGI models. If noticeable CGI doesn’t bother you or take you out of a film, suspending your disbelief will be enough to look past any mistakes.
The third act of this film is very disappointing. It feels rushed and underdeveloped both in writing and in production quality. From the first act through the second the movie feels solid enough to be an enjoyable action film, with the gimmick of a de-aged actor. The third act, however, while fits within the film, feels as if it was thrown together a month before filming. Altogether it was underwhelming and I expected more. Perhaps even a longer runtime would have been a benefit to the film.
Gemini Man is a film that you can throw on if you want a competent, albeit plain, government action film. It relies too much on the gimmick of a de-aged Will Smith in order to sell the film without much more thought put in the script. I can see Ang Lee’s direction for the film in what it was going for, however it failed to reach the heights of my expectations for both Lee and Smith.