Gemini Man (2019) | Film Review

Try this out: think about your life. Take all the ups and downs, and focus on the person you are now. Now, take that and imagine that standing before you is a much younger version of yourself. Not your child who has some of your traits, not someone “like” you, but the you who takes steps you can easily predict because they are all the same steps you already took. Okay, you have that in your head? Good, now decide how you are going to engage with that person. Gemini Man – the latest movie from director Ang Lee, writer David Benioff, and starring Will Smith – attempts to show us one way to handle it, though with more explosions and murder than I would hope most of us would have.

Henry Brogan (Will Smith) is retiring from his long and storied career as a hitman. His last job ended in a one-of-a-kind shot into a moving bullet train from two kilometers away, killing his target. The job doesn’t sit well with him as he considered he should have more feelings than he did on the subject, so it’s time to hang it up. The job wasn’t what it seems and he and anyone he worked with are finding themselves dead or hunted by the people who set him up. Henry’s specific hitman, the one assigned to exterminate Henry himself, seems to be one step behind every one of Henry’s moves, and he comes to understand that his killer isn’t just well trained, but an exact copy of himself…only 30 years his junior. This knowledge gives Henry the ability to anticipate his killer’s moves, but only just.

This story itself feels fresh in comparison to a lot of what we see today. However, it falls into the same chess movements that movies of this genre tend to fall into. Like a lot of chess strategies, once you take the first move, the rest of the moves become predictive. There will be some people who watch this movie who aren’t chess masters and it will feel like a great dance of action and story, but people who have been around this block a few times will know that this character is a pawn, that character is the bishop, and as always, look out for the queen.

So, that being said about the story, let’s take a look at the acting. Will Smith leads this troupe in both directions. Pulling double-duty, Smith’s portrayal of both Henry and Junior isn’t exactly what we have come to expect from a star that has brought us some of the more charming and memorable characters of the last 20 years. It seems as though he wanted to hit home the fact that the characters were the same, but one of those characters was a robot faced version of himself, with post-adolescence moodiness still fresh, and the other was a well-practiced assassin who feels guilty about the work he has done. Neither of them is someone you would invite to a party for a chinwag.

It is unusual to have this sort of reaction to Smith’s characters because, as mentioned, he is usually charm in two shoes. Supporting Will in his endeavor to play the same character twice, is Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Winstead from this point on, because I’m not typing that again) playing Danny Zakarweski (I’m never typing Zakarweski again, almost broke a finger the first time). Winstead’s portrayal of Danny was a refreshing dose of charm in opposition to Smith’s lack of or sporadic use of it. Never quite the damsel, very nearly as capable as her male counterparts. Writing for female characters such as this just keeps getting better and having actors such as Winstead to fill the rolls makes it even more enjoyable.

Clive Owen plays the big bad of the story, Clay Verris, and the role seems like an easy one for him. Step one: speak with a grave voice in an indistinct yet foreignish accent. Step two: instead of craft services, just eat the scenery. Clive Owen knows what he’s doing and nearly seems bored with it all. Finally, Benedict Wong’s Baron does the best to create some funny moments, but he isn’t given enough time to create that bond with the viewers, and the emotions don’t hit as they should.

Director Ang Lee is without question a talented and competent filmmaker. Gemini Man is no different in scope and feel than the rest of his catalog. The action hits, the world feels real and tangible. However, it isn’t all perfect. The effects to de-age Will Smith were mostly on point, however, it all seems to fall apart when the star is face to face with himself in the same shot. The differences in life versus CGI are glaring. Worse, the action gets punched up from time to time with what can only be described as CGI maquette with all the range of motion of rubber on strings, and just as interesting.

Gemini Man is ultimately a fun action romp through the world of “What If”. The greatness we have come to expect from Will Smith may be turned down to seven. Some people may find it hard to unsee Gumby in some of the effects. The issues may be hard to miss, but the benefits of sitting for nearly two hours of action, charm, and practiced execution is still worth the time.