Gemini Man (2019) review

For the past few decades, Ang Lee has consistently been one of the most prevalent filmmakers in the industry. After making it big in his native country of Taiwan with a pseudo-trilogy of films known as the Father Knows Best trilogy that explored the clashing of generational ideals, Lee transitioned to Hollywood and would go on to helm several critically acclaimed films. This includes, among others, the Emma Thompson-penned adaptation of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility, the groundbreaking martial arts flick Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and the emotionally devastating romantic drama Brokeback Mountain. However, in recent years, Lee’s films have become defined by their attempts at breaking new ground in the medium of film. This arguably all began with his 2012 outing Life of Pi, which was one of the biggest hits of that year and touted for its impressive visual effects. Four years later, Lee took on his next project, Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, which became notable for being the first film shot at a frame rate of 120 frames per second, five times more than the industry standard of 24 frames per second. However, this method proved to be difficult to present in theaters, which meant that only a select few could present it in its intended format (120fps in 3D at a 4K resolution). But now Lee’s back with his newest attempt at a film shot at such an astoundingly high frame rate, Gemini Man, and while its script doesn’t exactly match the aspirations of its technical aspects, it still manages to be a decent little action flick that also serves as a fascinating experiment for its technology.    

After years of being one of the top assassins in his field, Defense Intelligence Agency operative Henry Brogan (Will Smith) decides that the time has finally come for him to retire. However, not long after leaving his old life behind, Henry learns from his old colleague Jack Willis (Douglas Hodge) that his last target wasn’t a global terrorist as he was originally led to believe. Instead, he was a scientist who was working on a secret black-ops project known as ‘Gemini’, and as a result, Henry learns that he’s become marked for death by his superiors, specifically Gemini’s director Clayton Varris (Clive Owen). This, in turn, forces him to go on the run with fellow DIA agent Dani Zakarweski (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), who also becomes a target due to her interactions with Henry. Eventually, Henry finds himself pursued by Gemini’s top asset and is surprised to find that this mysterious agent acts a lot like him while out in the field. Sure enough, Henry ultimately discovers that this agent, named Junior (also played by Smith), is his younger clone and has been raised by Varris to be the ultimate assassin without any of the emotional baggage that had led to his retirement. Thus, as Henry and Dani fight to stay alive against Varris’ forces, they must also try to convince Junior of the ulterior truth behind his existence.

The first thing to talk about when it comes to this film is its ambitious 120fps format since I was lucky enough to be at a theater that could present it as such, albeit at a 2K resolution instead of 4K. Sure enough, that difference in frame rate is noticeable as soon as the film begins… which also means that it’s quite distracting at first when you’re seeing images that move much faster than what you’re normally used to when watching a film. As such, I can see why some feel that this format hinders the classic cinematic feel and makes films look like soap operas in the process, especially whenever an in-camera transition like a zoom-in/zoom-out is used. At the same time, though, it does live up to its claim of producing a highly crisp image quality that, in turn, also lends itself nicely to 3-D. This is especially apparent in the film’s action sequences, which are enhanced considerably by their crystal-clear cinematography. However, this primarily applies to any action sequence set during the day since, aside from the finale, most of the nighttime action sequences are severely hindered by some incredibly hasty editing. As for the film itself, there’s admittedly not much to talk about as this is very much one of those middle-of-the-road action flicks with a decent enough premise but also minimal plot and character development. After all, it is worth noting that this film has been in the works since 1997, with the likes of Joe Carnahan and the late Tony Scott attached to direct it and stars like Harrison Ford, Tom Cruise, Mel Gibson, and even Sean Connery being approached to headline it.

Ultimately, Will Smith ended up being the one to headline this film, and despite its shortcomings, he’s easily its biggest highlight thanks to his solid turn in the dual role of Henry and Junior. Of course, to have Smith properly portray the latter, the film goes the same route as several recent Marvel Studios films by de-aging him with CG and motion-capture technology, and for the most part, the visual effects for Junior are solid. It also helps that Smith manages to establish a solid distinction between the two, with Henry being the disenchanted veteran forever hardened by his experiences in the field and Junior being the wet-behind-the-ears rookie who gradually begins to experience moments of pure emotional turmoil despite being a clone. Everyone else in the cast is solid as well even if they don’t have as much to work with by comparison. Mary Elizabeth Winstead, for example, is a solid foil to Smith as female lead Dani, who thankfully isn’t just limited to a straight-forward ‘love interest/damsel in distress’ role since she does get to partake in several of the film’s action sequences. Backing the two of them up is Benedict Wong as Baron, an old ally of Henry’s; sure, the role is your standard best friend archetype, but Wong makes the most out of what he’s given. The same applies to Clive Owen as main antagonist Clayton Varris; it’s as basic of a villain role as you can get but at the same time, the character does manage to form a fascinating father-son relationship with Junior.

Gemini Man notably served as my first major experience of seeing a theatrically released film that was shot and presented at a high frame rate. As you might have guessed, I didn’t see Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk in theaters, and even if I did, odds are that it wouldn’t have been at the full 120fps format since only a few theaters in the country could present it as such. However, I still remember when Peter Jackson did something similar a few years back when he filmed the Hobbit trilogy at 48fps, double the industry standard. Plus, unlike Billy Lynn, I was near a theater that could show these films in their intended format. And yet, while I did have the opportunity to see the first Hobbit film, An Unexpected Journey, in the 48fps style, I only ended up seeing it via the traditional 24fps format in IMAX 3D. Regardless, the film’s use of a high-frame-rate proved to be highly controversial, and as a result, this experiment arguably fell by the wayside once The Desolation of Smaug and Battle of the Five Armies rolled around as their 48fps screenings came and went with little to no fanfare. Thus, while I’m not going to outright dismiss the concept entirely, it’s still very much an inherently flawed method of filmmaking as it provides some of the most crystal-clear images ever put on film… while also making films look rather cheap in the worst possible ways. And yet, the irony of Gemini Man is that this whole discussion behind its ambitious high-frame-rate is far more interesting than the film itself. Sure, Will Smith is genuinely excellent in his dual leading roles and, at the very least, the film is a decent little popcorn flick, but at the end of the day, that’s all that Gemini Man has going for it, really.

Rating: 3/5