Gemini Man (2019)

Now we know what happens when you mix Jerry Bruckheimer, action producer, with Ang Lee, Oscar winning director. It is a pretty mixed bag. I am a huge fan of Lee's work and one of his qualities I enjoy is he is the chameleon director working out there None of his films are remotely alike. Imagine a resume which includes Life of Pi, Brokeback Mountain, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Eat Drink Man Woman, Sense and Sensibility, and Hulk. He has lately turned to exploring the limits of technological advances in film making since how he wowed with Pi, with the disappointingly bland Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk, a snoozefest which played with hyper high frame rates making for crystal clear imagery. He has now applied some of that technology to the action genre which Gemini Man, a very Bruckheimer-esque which also features heavy use of CGI de-aging special effects.

And as a rather light action movie it works. The action sequences are out of this world. I want to give credit here to Lee's staging of the set pieces. The are brilliant to watch. That with the combo of the the high frame rate creates some amazing sequences. Seeing Will Smith face off (pun intended) against his younger self is also a spectacle. But Gemini Man feels more like an excuse to use the technology and the spectcle more than an quality film and story in itself.The story just isn't as engaging as it should be and it's twists are all seen coming a mile away. There are themes here of identity, fatherhood, responsibility, humanity that are glossed over and given just cursory, simplistic discussion. The script is weak, having characters spout off the ideas the film is playing with, again on a surface level only. I had hoped that with Lee involved the film would explore some of this in a more satisfying way but it drops the ball here. It's really all about the visuals.

It's not the fault of the cast. Smith has been doing some of his best work lately and he is strong in Gemini Man despite all the special effects. Mary Elizabeth Winstead is also strong but her character is given so little to do you just wanted to see her given more.

So here is hoping Lee returns to his amazing story telling qualities and becomes a little less focused on the technological toys he is being handed. Or better yet he finds a way to merge the two into something remarkable like his earlier work.

Gemini Man
Starring: Will Smith, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Clive Owen, Benedict Wong
Director: Ang Lee
Starring: David Benioff, Billy Ray, Darren Lemke