Gemini Man

2.5/4

Starring: Will Smith, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Clive Owen, Benedict Wong, Douglas Hodge, Ralph Brown, Linda Emond

Rated PG-13 for Violence and Action Throughout, and for Brief Strong Language

A script that has been in development for two decades.  Mega producer Jerry Bruckheimer.  Two-time Academy Award-winning director Ang Lee at the helm.  And Mr. July himself, Will Smith, in the lead role.  All that talent and we end up with...this?

"Gemini Man" is a disappointing film.  It's not a bad film per se, but it's impossible to watch this movie and not feel let down.  It's such a good premise that it deserves a better treatment than to be used for a bunch of action scenes (some of which are admittedly spectacular).  There are so many different directions that this film could have gone in, so many avenues that it could have explored, that it's a shame that it settled for Generic Action Movie 101.  Particularly with someone as intelligent and talented as Ang Lee behind the camera.

Henry Brogan (Smith) is an assassin working for the Defense Intelligence Agency.  He's the best in the business, so when he decides to retire, it's devastating for his handler, Del Patterson (Brown).  Just as he's starting to enjoy his retirement, a conctact named Jack Willis (Hodge) calls to set up an meeting on his yacht.  That raises alarm bells with his old boss, Janet Lassiter (Emond) and a ruthless arms dealer named Clay Verris (Owen).  Verris thinks he knows too much and elects to take Henry out.   Things get complicated when Henry is attacked by a man who is literally a younger version of himself.

On a technical level, the film is in top form.  Will Smith may have a harder edge this time around and down plays his trademark charisma, but no one not named Arnold Schwarzenegger is more at home in a movie like this (actually, Schwarzenegger would have been a perfect choice for this movie 25 years ago).  He is supported by talented actors like Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Clive Owen and Benedict Wong.  And while Ang Lee may be more recognized for his understated, emotional stories like "Brokeback Mountain" and "The Wedding Banquet," he has a flair for action scenes.  Lee did direct "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," after all.

The problem is, as is usually the case, the screenplay.  This is not a well-written movie.  The plot, which is essentially Jason Bourne with a sci-fi twist, is so creaky that I felt jerked around rather than enthralled.  It stops and starts like a car with a dead battery.  One could argue that Lee is simply keeping his cards close to his chest, but that's a mistake.  The story can barely hold itself together.

Also disappointing is the lack of follow through on the philosophical ideas that the screenplay skirts.  For example, the film raises ethical questions about cloning soldiers, privacy, scientific consent, nature versus nurtue, and so on.  These issues are addressed with a one-liner or brief speech.  If they are given any sort of attention at all.  The story is about one man confronting a younger version of himself, but the film never really pauses to consider how Henry feels about this.  Talk about a missed opportunity!  Compare this to "Minority Report" or "Face/Off," which allowed the issues that their plots raised to drive the plot, and "Gemini Man" really comes up short.  All we're left with then is a gimmick, and one that ends up feeling frustrating rather than fascinating.

Still, there are areas where "Gemini Man" excels.  One is the acting.  The script may be beneath their talents, but there is no doubt that Smith and his co-stars did their jobs.  Will Smith's biggest assets are his screen presence and charisma, but he doesn't use them here.  Instead, Henry is weary, tired and burdened by the things he's done.  Smith has had limited success playing low-key characters (anyone remember "Focus?"  Come to think of it, does anyone want to remember it?), but here it works, once you accept the fact that he's playing something other than a variation on his usual star persona.  Mary Elizabeth Winstead has the same ability to appear natural without effort as Michelle Monaghan, and while that's a positive quality for an indie movie like "Smashed," there's a danger of being lost amid the star power and pyrotechnics.  Still, like Monaghan, she is talented enough to make that happen.  Clive Owen is disappointing, lacking the energy or viciousness to make a truly memorable villain.  He's in "take the money and run" mode.

As a Will Smith vehicle or a "turn off your brain" adrenaline cocktail, I suppose the movie works.  And there are no superheroes, which is appreciated, since I didn't have to worry about canon, Easter eggs or in jokes (or fans calling them out every five minutes).  Then again, there is probably some superhero in Henry as he can get clocked by a motorcyle wheel and keep on fighting.  If it had been satisfied to be just that, I might not have minded.  But it constantly raises intriguing ideas but there's no follow through.  So I guess the lesson is that if you want to go down this road, you have to fully commit to it.

The best I can say is that it's at least better than Will Smith's previous 2019 movie, "Aladdin," but the less said about that movie, the better.