The Gemini Man (2019)

Will Smith stars as Henry Brogan, a top-notch sniper and skilled combat fighter working for a black ops government agency named Gemini, performing one last kill before retiring from the assassin business at the ripe age of 50. He’s the best at what he does but hates the man he’s become, unable to even look at himself in the mirror without observing disappointment and pain. But just when he thinks he’s pulling out, they pull him back in, discovering that he’s been misled by his superior at Gemini, Clay, in the nature of his latest assassination, making him feel betrayed. Along with fellow agent and his new ally, Danny, and his trusty pal Baron, Henry soon discovers they are trying to take him out as well, but with a younger, more agile, less angsty version of himself named Junior.

Ang Lee directs this science fiction thriller that continues to prove that he should probably stay away from directing mainstream action blockbusters. He’s tried before with Hulk, a marvel superhero film most superhero fans have tried and mostly succeeded to forget. While The Gemini Man is arguably better, it still falls far short of expectations given the pedigree of its director and the charisma of its stars.

Although the advertisements give away the sci-fi twist to the story, The Gemini Man plays like a standard assassin-spy thriller much of the way, not too dissimilar to a film in the Bourne series. The real problem with The Gemini Man as an action-thriller is that it’s entirely too talky and filled with a dramatic weight that is not in keeping with the tone of the extended CG-laden set pieces. Those set pieces are so dynamic and explosive, filled with dynamic fighting and quick-cut editing, that they feel like they have been removed from an entirely different film than the one that plays out in between them.

Ang Lee is much more in tune with exploring the deep-seated feelings of his characters and lets these interludes where they discuss those feelings play out just as long as each action sequence. For an action-thriller genre excursion, it’s a tough slog to have to hear about an assassin’s inner feelings before he goes out to do each kill, rendering the film inert about most of its run time, interspersed with moments where it kicks right into fifth gear.

Shot at 120 frames per second, they do look remarkably good, but the transitions are so jarring that you’ll stop to ponder their design as they play, mostly because you’ll likely not be invested enough into the outcome of the fights to stay absorbed at the moment. Nevertheless, a chase involving a motorcycle racing through the streets of Cartagena, Colombia is well rendered and crisply presented, albeit with a lot of jitters that also cribs from Bourne, if only we could be thrilled going into them.

The casting is a mixed bag, with few playing to their natural strengths. Will Smith just doesn’t seem like a man who is deeply troubled or who carries a lifetime of regret, so when we see his younger representation supposedly being without that regret, there’s barely a difference other than the obvious CG work done to de-age the actor, which doesn’t pass the uncanny valley problem. Mary Elizabeth Winstead is presumably there to add romantic repartee, but there isn’t a natural spark to be found between her and Smith to make their pairing fun or exciting. Clive Owen exhibits only screen presence as the heavy, not asked at all to provide any sort of range that might make his scenes interesting in the slightest, so he leaves no memorable impression.

Storytelling elements aren’t just obvious, they’re also boring, as anyone who has watched espionage thrillers of any sort over the last two decades can easily surmise what’s going on long before the reveals finally arrive. Colors and lighting are bright and vivid, perhaps a bit too good for a thriller that plays this dark and angsty. All in all, despite handsome specs and a cast and director that might look good on paper, the chemistry is just not there, whether in front of or behind the camera. This Gemini Man is far from a gem.

Qwipster’s rating: C-

MPAA Rated: PG-13 for violence and action throughout, and brief strong language.
Running Time: 117 min.

Cast: Will Smith, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Clive Owen, Benedict Wong, Douglas Hodge, Ralph Brown, Linda Emond
Director: Ang Lee
Screenplay: David Benioff, Billy Ray, Darren Lemke