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doomonfilm · 4 years

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Thoughts : Gemini Man (2019)

Upon reflection, the career of Will Smith has truly been a remarkable one. Most would have been content with starting a music career in 1985, winning the first rap Grammy, and headlining the cast of the wildly successful Fresh Prince of Bel-Air TV show. For Smith, however, that was just the beginning. He has gone on to achieve icon status by stacking a 25 year movie career on top of the previously mentioned achievements, and the multitude of acting roles over this time has covered a wide spectrum. Perhaps it’s that iconic status and the memories of such a long career that make the film Gemini Man so intriguing... or better yet, if one Will Smith is box office gold, what would happen if a second Will Smith was added to the mix?

DIA (Defense Intelligence Agency) assassin Henry Brogan (Will Smith) finds himself coming grips with his disillusionment about his role as a career killer after almost allowing a target to slip by from a nearly impossible bullet train shot. After officially announcing his retirement to Del Patterson (Ralph Brown), his DIA handler, his disillusionment grows after he not only makes Danielle Zakarewski (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) as his post-retirement tail as assigned by the DIA, but then learns that his final target was assigned based on false information. Meanwhile, GEMINI director Clayton Varris (Clive Owen) and DIA director Janet Lassiter (Linda Emond) find themselves in a power struggle over Brogan’s retirement, leading to a manhunt for Brogan and his associates as issued by Varris. With Zakarewski in tow and the help of long time confidant Baron (Benedict Wong), Brogan attempts to flee the United States and save what lives he can in the fallout of his retirement decision, only to find himself entangled in a life or death battle with GEMINI’s version of the ultimate assassin : a younger, genetically and emotionally modified clone of Brogan.

The story is not necessarily an original one... in fact, the character of Lassiter makes me immediately think of a very similar character from American Ultra, a film I love with plot points that echo some of those found in Gemini Man. That being said, I don’t think the unoriginality of this story necessarily takes away from the enjoyment of this film, as the production team opted to keep things narratively simple rather than deal with elaborate twists and turns. For all intents and purposes, Gemini Man is a chase movie, a counter-espionage film, and a spy thriller that hits all the important beats that the genre requires. Ang Lee once again proves his prowess as a director, giving the film a wonderful look and pacing while also allowing the heart and soul of his characters to be presented in tandem with their lethal abilities. There are no damsels in distress or armchair generals in this movie... everyone who finds themselves engaged in combat, be it ballistic or hand to hand, is displayed as more than capable of handling themselves, but not shown unproportionate as supermen in comparison to others in the film. The bond between Brogan and Junior is also unique in the sense that it dilemma of whether a clone is really and truly an identical copy, or a new being with their own sense of agency and morals.

Speaking of Brogan and Junior, I was incredibly impressed with the special effects work shown in Gemini Man. There are moments when Junior steps into full light and finds himself teetering on the edge of the uncanny valley, but the combination of shading, blocking and camerawork allowed me to suspend disbelief enough to at times genuinely forget that I was looking at a computer generated creation, which I’ve honestly not experienced since seeing two Armie Hammer’s in The Social Network. On occasion, some of the hand to hand combat looked a tad video-gamey, but in all honesty that is a stylistic choice that is not unique to Gemini Man, and it does manage to still mirror the combat of films like those in the John Wick series in many ways, especially the chases and gunplay. Whatever reference source they used to map Junior’s face, it worked well... my guess would be sources like Six Degrees of Separation... there’s even a scene where I wouldn’t be surprised if a little bit of Jaden Smith face-mapping occurred as well.

Will Smith is stellar as always, and in all honesty, I had no doubts in his ability to play a dual role, but I really do appreciate the nuance he provided in regards to his portrayal of Junior. Mary Elizabeth Winestead brings a wonderful feminine touch to a very masculine energy-driven film, while simultaneously avoiding any shades of ‘damsel in distress’... her balance of playing a narrative foil and a utility character is refreshing. Benedict Wong brings a comedic lightness to the film without dragging the weight of the situation down. Clive Owen embraces his villainous role without chewing up the scenery, although he does embrace a bad guy trope or two during his runtime. Linda Emond and Ralph Brown are pitch perfect in their bureaucratic roles as well, towing the government and company line to a tee and only showing hints of sympathy for the situation they’ve created. Appearances by Douglas Hodge, Ilia Volok, E.J. Bonilla, Igor Szasz, Bjorn Freiberg and Justin James Boykin round things out.

For escapism, you can’t really go wrong with Gemini Man, as it successfully pulls you into its world and pushes you forward with its action. Those who choose to nitpick will probably dissect the special effects to death, but if you’re willing to accept the fact that not everyone you see on screen is a human and set that aside, it is easy to fall into the rhythm of the film. Definitely worth checking out while it’s on streaming services, in my opinion.

#ChiefDoomsday #DOOMonFILM #GeminiMan #AngLee #JerryBruckheimer #WillSmith #MaryElizabethWinstead #CliveOwen #BenedictWong #RalphBrown #LindaEmond #DouglasHodge #IliaVolok #EJBonilla #IgorSzasz #BjornFreiberg #JustinJamesBoykin

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