There’s a moment early in Gemini Man where Will Smith shows remorse about his career as a government-sponsored assassin. He has 72 confirmed kills, and that, in his words, “does things to his head”.
It’s the most characterization you see from his character- or any other character, for the matter- in the whole film. That shouldn’t be surprising, since this has been advertised as an action film, but that’s not what you expect someone like Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain and Life of Pi) to come up with. There’s the tiniest bit of soul to this film, but most of its buried under a so-so plot and generic (though pleasing) action.
Henry Brogan (Will Smith) is retiring after one last hit. One of his old buddies, Clay Varris, decides that Henry is a loose end and sends a new, relentless assassin after Henry. Henry goes on the run with another rogue operator, Danny Zakarweski (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) and his pilot, Baron (Benedict Wong). Of course, around halfway through the film, Henry discovers that the assassin after him is Junior, a 25 year clone of himself.
The de-aging technology is impressive. It uses Smith’s photos and early movie roles to transform Smith into his younger self, and for most of the action sequences, the deaged clone looks convincingly real. It’s when there’s dialogue, though, that his lips look slightly uncanny and you are reminded that this is, indeed, special effects.
Lee shot Gemini Man in high resolution, 120 frames per second 3D format, something he carried over from his previous film, Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk. As a result, the film had a hyper-real look that, at times, looks like a soap opera. In development since 1997, this film went through lots of actors and directors before landing Smith and Lee. There’s a lot of effort put into the film, which is disappointing since, at times, it feels lazy.
Nevertheless, the action does hold up for most of the film. Around the midway point, there’s an intense motorcycle chase that ends with Junior using his cycle to attack Henry in creative ways. There’s another fisticuffs set in Budapest that impressively handles both Smiths going for each other’s throats that also delivers. The camera puts you right in the middle of the combat, with the high frame rate making the pacing feel even more frenetic.
Will Smith is more than adequate in both of his roles, but there’s little for him to play off. The script is shoddy, and Clive Owen’s turn as a hammy villain doesn’t help, either. In essence, it feels like a 90s action movie, which makes sense, given its history. It’s better than recent fare such as Rambo: Last Blood, but it feels resoundingly hollow for most of its runtime.
With Joker releasing on October 4th, it’s doubtful that Gemini Man will gain much traction. It might, however, find new life in home releases. It would be wrong to say that Gemini Man squanders its potential. It simply never rises above the surface of its premise. There are much better movies with double performances out there, like Looper and Legend. It’s the kind of film that’s most enjoyed while playing on autopilot on HBO on a Thursday night. At least it isn’t any worse, thanks to Lee’s steady hand and Smith’s presence.