★★☆☆☆
7 October 2019
A movie review of GEMINI MAN. |
“He knew every move of mine before I made it. I had him right there to take the shot, and he'd be gone, like a ghost. Who is he?” Junior (Will Smith)
What a disappointment from director Ang Lee! The dialogue is abysmal, the characterisation non-existent, the plot leaden. I have seen all of Lee's oeuvre (bar BILLY LYNN'S HALFTIME WALK [2016]), and until this point he hadn't put a foot wrong. (With every formulaic, mediocre comic book movie, HULK [2003] grows in stature.)
What a disappointment from director Ang Lee! The dialogue is abysmal, the characterisation non-existent, the plot leaden. I have seen all of Lee's oeuvre (bar BILLY LYNN'S HALFTIME WALK [2016]), and until this point he hadn't put a foot wrong. (With every formulaic, mediocre comic book movie, HULK [2003] grows in stature.)
Beyond the technological boundary pushing of de-ageing a movie star, and having them fight a younger self, one is not sure what drew Ang Lee to this project? His films have always had their fascinating characters drive the plots. He seems to care about his protagonists and antagonists (in contrast to some directors, who will remain nameless).
The first stunningly choreographed Will vs Will battle is the only stand out sequence. A crime for an action movie! Contrast CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON [2000]. I watched this in 3D, which annoys rather than immerses. There's even a moment where water explodes towards the camera - such gimmickry was utilised back with the nascent era of the modern projection, with Brendan Fraser's JOURNEY TO THE CENTRE OF THE EARTH [2008]. The current form of 3D has had its day now surely? Also, younger Will Smith looks uncanny. Think Henry Cavill in JUSTICE LEAGUE [2017]. Though, contrast the excellent work on Samuel L. Jackson in CAPTAIN MARVEL this year. Will Martin Scorsese’s THE IRISHMAN be even more impressive?
However, the use of high frame rate (HFR) is the future. The movie is so vivid. I would have liked to see GEMINI MAN in 2D HFR. Or better yet, something like LIFE OF PI [2012].
Back to that uninspiring plot. We are continually told that Henry Brogan (Will Smith) is the world's best assassin. For rooting-for purposes, Henry says he only kills bad guys. He doesn't look into any of the targets himself, just follows orders. We first see him eliminate a guy on a moving train from two kilometres away. (The recent DAS BOOT television show makes the analogy that submarines are snipers of naval warfare.) The lead is up to 72 kills. And he is the ostensible hero of the story.
Laughably, Henry decides to retire because he shot the train guy in the neck rather than the head. He's losing his edge. He also mentions insomnia and some form of guilt.
The last target was not who his handlers claimed. By Henry making enquiries, he enters the crosshairs of his paymasters - in particular two-dimensional sociopath, private contractor C.E.O. Clay Verris (Clive Owen). After the dire VALERIAN AND THE CITY OF A THOUSAND PLANETS [2017], is Clive Owen now weary of these blockbusters wasting his talents? GEMINI MAN is a movie of thankless parts. There is even a scene where Mary Elizabeth Winstead has to strip to her underwear to prove she is not wearing a wire. WTF?!
By the way, didn't LOGAN [2017] do this story already?
Cursory visits to Belgium, Columbia, Hungary, curtail the feel of a globetrotting epic. Though there are occasional moments of verve, and the look is vibrant.