Starring two Will Smiths, ‘Gemini Man’ is flawed but worthwhile
This is not a film you can readily call good. If someone were to ask me on the street, “should I see that movie with the two Will Smiths?” my critic-half would be inclined to say no: “Gemini Man” is comprised entirely of clichés that are commonplace in the dumbest action movies being produced today. However, speaking to you as a viewer who enjoys being entertained, “Gemini Man” really hits the spot. As a story, it fails; it’s the kind of movie where you can predict what a character is going to say before they even open their mouths. But the film itself has some impressive artistry and joyously cool set pieces that make it, overall, harder to dismiss than it should be.
It’s about an aging government assassin, Henry Brogan (Will Smith), who after decades of killing people (none of them “innocent”, of course) just wants to retire. We the viewer know he wants to quit because he says edgy stuff like “I can’t look at myself in the mirror” and “I can’t sleep at night” (lines which never match his sunny, joke-cracking demeanor). This being a thriller, the shadowy government won’t just let Henry walk into the sunset. They send after the legendary Brogan the only person who could be his equal in combat: himself (played by a technologically de-aged Will Smith).
An undercover agent, Danny (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), gets dragged into the danger with Henry, and Brogan recruits an old war buddy (Benedict Wong) to help them fly to exotic locations for increasingly dumb reasons. Together, they have to prove their innocence, evade the extremely powerful Smith-doppelganger, and eliminate the mad scientist responsible for all of this (played by a gruff, amusingly sinister Clive Owen in the film’s best supporting role).
What separates “Gemini Man” from other corporately mapped-out, globetrotting thrillers is Ang Lee’s direction. Lee emphasises clarity in his fight scenes, foregoing incoherent shaky-cam duels. There’s a beauty to the violence in “Gemini Man”, as Lee shot it at an overwhelmingly crisp 4K 3D at 120fps. This visual approach was panned in his last film, “Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk” (2016), but here it feels much more naturally utilized. Lee stuffs his scenes of mayhem with ferocious, quick movements, but the chaos is always crystal-clear. There’s a scene where the younger Smith is trying to kill the elder with a motorcycle, and it feels frighteningly intense because the violence actually looks hard-hitting. Even when something downright stupid is happening (somebody, at one point, shoots a grenade to ricochet it), the film looks refreshingly good.
None of the performances are bad. Everybody on deck is making the best out of what screenwriters Billy Ray, Darren Lemke, and David Benioff (you know, the guy who ruined “Game of Thrones”) have given them. But even the screenwriters can’t be held solely responsible for what the story is lacking in originality; “Gemini Man” has been in creative limbo for well over a decade, originally starting out at Disney and mutating over the course of many directors and screenwriters who ultimately dropped out. It’s uncertain whether or not this is the best version of the story we’re getting, but at bottom, it’s passable rather than insulting.
There’s a valid reason why Will Smith is one of the most expensive and highly demanded actors in the world: he oozes likability. He is one of the most naturally charismatic actors out there. The expensive technology it took to bring Smith back into his 20s looks flawless. Seeing Smith pull this off is fascinating. Ang Lee really did take this middle-aged man and make him look like the Fresh Prince again, and Smith doesn’t lose a step capturing both the old-and-young versions of himself.
Ang Lee is the captain of this troubled ship, and he refuses to let it sink, even when the screenplay gives the story nowhere to go but down. At close to two hours, “Gemini Man” moves at a breeze, entertaining without overstaying its welcome. It’s deeply flawed, but if you’re looking for an intermittently satisfying and strangely memorable action film, “Gemini Man” hits the matinee target.