★★
An over-the-hill hitman faces off against a younger clone of himself.
Classification: 12A
All-flash and no bang as Ang Lee's action thriller is a toothless adventure only made exhilarating by its technical prowess with digital de-ageing and high frame rates rather than any creative storytelling. Gemini Man feels like a wasted concept considering how long Hollywood waited to make the idea work as the story is a boilerplate globetrotting caper that has Will Smith go from country to country to gain exposition and fight his clone with slightly varied results. Considering director Ang Lee and producer Jerry Bruckheimer's reputations for delivering engaging entertainment Gemini Man is unable to get a grip on its audience despite having double star power with Will Smith.
The hook of the film is pitting Will Smith's aged assassin Henry Brogan against a younger clone of himself also portrayed by Smith through motion capture and digital de-ageing technology. Gemini Man probably boasts some of the best use of the tech as every scene with the younger character delivers an identical copy that the illusion is never questioned. All the more impressive is when Lee has the two Smith's together playing off each other either verbally or physically as Smith is able to make both characters feel distinctive yet eerily similar. Their scenes, however, can just feel like a showcase for the technology as the script never does anything original or exciting with the concept. Gemini Man throws in slim storylines to try and give the film weight with references to private military contractors, how war affects its soldiers and larger government conspiracies but its all half baked. The younger clone of Brogan is supposed to represent how war and the selfish ambition of older men corrupt the youth through his relationship with Clive Owen's villain. His journey to redemption feels so rushed and the film loses an opportunity for a compelling character study.
Lee's experimentation with the high frame rates pays off as the action sequences are Gemini Man's strongest asset. While they don't do much for the rest of the film, the swing of a punch or the firing of a bullet feels far more visceral than a typical action flick. The lack of a compelling story of the film robs these scenes of some of their adrenaline but the technical execution is still interesting to see unfold. When the two Brogans face off against each other is when the action really shines not only because of matching skill sets but the creativity of both characters trying to outwit one another, the motorcycle chase in Colombia being an exciting highlight. The action sequences however just seem so sparse in between the rest of the film and as the story develops, lessening the audience's investment in the characters. The bullet-ridden explosive final act feels generic because of a lack of originality in its antagonist's plan and the conclusion to the cloning storyline leaving little excitement no matter how many people the Will Smiths shoot.
The action scenes are technically impressive and exhilarating in the high frame rate of 120fps but the expository filler in between becomes tiresome as Lee is unable to create any tension in the mysteries of the film. Smith with his entourage of Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Benedict Wong make a fun unorthodox team with Wong being a fun source of comic relief but too many of their scenes are them trying to make sense of the plot. Even with the threat of assassination and being hunted by the US government and private military firm Gemini hanging over their heads, there is no real sense of danger as convenient deus ex machina takes the characters to the next location or set-piece. The cinematography of the film doesn't help as outside of the action scenes Gemini Man feels very flat and the locations interchangeable.
Gemini Man is a disappointment as star power and gripping action can't pull the film out of the slump of its mundane script. No compelling or new ways to explore the ideas of cloning and warfare, the film feels like its always going for the most typical of storytelling and Lee's main interest with the film is experimenting with the new technology. With no charisma, the film sleeps through its forgettable story and characters thinking the allure of its impressive effects is all that's needed to keep the audience enthralled when it's only a fleeting gimmick with no real payoff.
Director: #AngLee
Release Date: October 10th 2019
Trailer:
Written review copyright ©CoreyBullochReviews
Images and Synopsis from the Internet Movie Database
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