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
