Gemini Man (2019)

2019 | Action | Drama | Sci-Fi

117 mins United States

An ageing hitman discovers he has been manipulated by dark forces within the military-industrial complex and finds himself hunted by a younger clone of himself. The script for this movie originally surfaced in 1997 and spent a long time in development hell with a wide range of actors attached to it (Harrison Ford, Sean Connery, Clint Eastwood).



Produced by Paramount Pictures
Director Ang Lee
Writer Billy Ray, Darren Lemke and David Benioff
Cast Will Smith, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Clive Owen, Benedict Wong and Will Smith

Main Image Courtesy: Paramount Pictures.
Background Image Courtesy: Paramount Pictures.
Images And Data Courtesy Of: Paramount Pictures.
This content (including text, images, videos and other media) is published and used in accordance with Fair Use.

Added By

Andy K

Added this item on Apr 23, 2019

Gemini Man (2019) Reviews & Ratings (33)
9-10
3.0% (1)
7-8
36.4% (12)
5-6
36.4% (12)
3-4
15.2% (5)
1-2
9.1% (3)

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Gemini Man (2019) reviews from people you don't follow
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Bob Mann (459 KP) rated

Nov 10, 2019  
Gemini Man (2019)
Gemini Man (2019)
2019 | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
Special Effects, including Will Smith's "youngification' (0 more)
The script - truly dire (0 more)
Will Smith plays top US hit-man Henry Brogan who is making the world "safer" one bullet at a time! With the mirror telling him his age, Henry hands in his firearm (not withstanding the arsenal under his stairs) to spend more time going fishing and doing the crossword.

But all is not well when Henry's 'one for the road' hit turns out to not be quite what it seems.

Teaming up with marina manager Danny (Danny??) Zakarweski (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), the pair go on the run from operatives of a government-funded black-ops organization called Gemini. Gemini is a private semi-military organization (didn't we just go here with "Angel Has Fallen"?!). These 'baddie goodies' would rather see Henry - and all who know him - fed to the fishes rather than have him catching them.

But one of these guys, under the direct command of Gemini-boss Clay Verris (Clive Owen), looks kinda familiar...

Let's focus on the positives for a minute. This is a spy movie that has all of the polish that the recent "Angel has Fallen" didn't have. Some nice photogenic locations fly in and out again (Georgia, Budapest and Colombia: the latter for no obvious reason I can remember!). It occasionally reminded me of a glossy Bond film, but without Bond.

There are also some high-class special effects (the special effects coordinator is Mark Hawker). A moonlit CGI Gulfstream with a zoom into the cockpit is particularly impressive.

Some of the action set pieces also entertain. A Will-on-Will bike chase is well done, and I've not seen a bike used as a hand-to-hand weapon in this way before!

And Will Smith is no doubt a class act, with his 'youngification' (I'm not sure what the official word is) also being effectively done. I also enjoyed Mary Elizabeth Winstead, who was great in "10 Cloverfield Lane". The lady has real screen presence.

But man oh man, that script. Let's name the guilty parties in this film: the scriptwriters David Benioff (Game of Thrones), Darren Lemke and Billy Ray. (I'll put Ray last in the list, since the story was by Benioff and Lemke and this has the smell to me of Ray - who has a history of some great scripts like Captain Phillips under his name - being drafted in to steady a listing ship).

Some of the dialogue in this film is not just a bit dodgy. It's head in the hands groan-worthy (and I actually did at times: fortunately the cinema was barely half full and I was on my own in the whole row). And some of it is just plain offensive. Henry meets his old pal Jack Willis (Douglas Hodge) on his yacht where he explains his wife is on a trip to Paris as a scantily clad dolly-bird wanders past. Henry comically rolls his eyes at this adulterous behaviour, with some sort of "Jack, what are you loike!" comment. Cringe-worthy.

Will Smith, Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Benedict Wong (their ally, adding some comic relief) are clearly good actors. But the script often makes them look utterly vacuous and stupid. And Lee seems to have a "good enough, move on" approach to the filming. One jaw-dropping moment has Will Smith telling the others that they are going to Budapest. "Budapest?" Winstead and Wong are supposed to say in union, but mistime it. "Can we do that again?". Nope. It's on the screen.

As for Clive Owen... sorry, he's really not in the same acting league, and the script does him even fewer favours. As he says at one point "It's like the Hindenburg crashing into the Titanic". I couldn't have put it better myself.

"Uncanny Valley". You know this phrase. The Princess Leia and Moff Tarkin scenes in "Rogue One" is the classic example. Effects that don't quite work on the big screen. "But" - you say to yourself - "Dr Bob just said that the 'youngification' of Will Smith was done really well?". And I'll repeat again that it was. It's on a par with Samuel L. Jackson's 'youngification' in "Captain Marvel". Where something strange happens is in the film's overall projection. Ang Lee has tried again with his experiment of filming at a massive 120 frames per second..... five times the normal movie frame rate of 24 fps. And the quality of the picture - particularly during high-speed action scenes - becomes outstandingly good! But equally it just doesn't 'look right'.

When the human eye presumably works at an equivalent "fps" of thousands of 'frames per second' you'd think that it should all be fine. But for some reason I just found it distracting. Presumably the audiences for "The Jazz Singer" thought the same about sound; and those for "Gone with the Wind" and the "Wizard of Oz" about colour. Maybe we've seen the future, and its the new norm that we just need to get used to. We'll see.

Ang Lee's "Life of Pi" was extraordinary. His "Hulk" was one of the poorest of the Marvel canon. Unfortunately, this movie is at the "Hulk" end of the spectrum. Which is a real shame. The duo of the 51 year old Smith and the 35 year old Winstead work really well together. They have great chemistry, but, you'll be relieved to hear, avoid any icky love interest.

What a shame. With a different script, and some good production values, this could have been a very different story.

(For the full graphical review, please check out https://bob-the-movie-man.com/2019/10/18/one-manns-movies-film-review-gemini-man-2019/ )
(7)   
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Sarah (7800 KP) rated

Jun 22, 2020  
Gemini Man (2019)
Gemini Man (2019)
2019 | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
Another lacklustre Smith film
I feel a little sorry for Will Smith. He had some big hits back in the day but with the exception of Concussion, most of his recent efforts have been pretty poor. And sadly Gemini Man is no exception.

This didn’t appeal when it came out at the cinema, but as it’s now on Sky Cinema I figured I may as well give it go... and it turned out to be the longest and dullest action film I’ve seen in a long time. The action scenes are pretty decent in all fairness and has some impressive fight choreography (without the dodgy shaky cam that rubbish choreography is plagued by). The CGI is good in parts and the younger version of Will Smith is well done, although some of this CGI does look a bit dodgy when it gets a little close up. The overall look of the film though is quite good and there is some good cinematography but it does give off a premium tv show feel rather than a proper film.
The rest of this film though is rather poor. The script is terrible and the entire thing is very lacklustre and dull, I’ve never seen an action film so boring before. Even the plot feels like it’s been done many times before (except for the clone thing) and isn’t anything new. So glad I didn't watch this at the cinema as I probably would’ve fallen asleep.
(5)   
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Awix (3310 KP) rated

Oct 11, 2019  
Gemini Man (2019)
Gemini Man (2019)
2019 | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
Long-in-the-works Will Smith vehicle certainly feels like it's from the 90s. Government assassin decides to retire, but knows too much and finds himself the target of his own clone replacement. First and foremost a decent action movie, with a rather better performance (or performances) from Smith than you might expect; on a procedural level it rattles along engagingly enough.

However, the movie almost wholly fumbles all of its potential for addressing deeper issues in any but the most superficial manner - nature vs nurture, second chances, issues of identity, and so on. The manner in which it is filmed (for the special high frame rate 3D) is blandly appealing but not exactly atmospheric. In the end it is reasonable entertainment but all things considered you could be forgiven for expecting something rather more substantial.
(5)   
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Neon's Nerd Nexus (360 KP) rated

Oct 16, 2019  
Gemini Man (2019)
Gemini Man (2019)
2019 | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
Exposition Man
Gemini Man is a pure bore, a tedious bombardment of utter crap that's so oversimplified you would think it was made for children. Personaly I admire Ang Lee as a director hes got this quirky kinda way of shooting films & hes always brave enough to try new filming techniques/strange camera angles that you dont really see in other movies. Id liken him to Luc Besson tbh but sadly just like him after making some absolute cinematic masterpieces they both then seem to be content with just churning out utter dross & while at the heart all these movies have great ideas/cool action its the excecution they fail on every time. Gemini man is no diffrerent infact id say its even worse than Lucy or Billy Lynn as its just so dull to the point where I was questioning if i should use the time catch up on sleep instead. Nothing of any intrest happens in this movie and im not kidding when i say all we get 90% of the time is characters repeating the extreamly basic plot to us over & over again which comes across as patronising making the movie exteamly monotonous & exhausting to watch. Acting isnt much better either its all very one tone/basic with characters clearly only there as checklist reminder of whats about to happen. But what about the action? well for a 2hour movie #action scenes only equate to about 15 minutes total & even when we do get finally get an action scene (bar the motorbike chase from the trailer) theres really nothing memorable or thrilling at all. One thing I will say its a looker for sure & at times my god does it look fantastic with a visual clarity that almost feels like your on set but problem is again its not pushed enough & theres not really any enviroments or action that makes good use of the techniques used to film it which is a big shame (it almost got a 2 because of visuals but I got annoyed I wasted 2hours of my only day off watching it). So irritating, boring, generic, predictable, shallow, basic, overlong & inteligence insulting I warn you now do not go to see Gemini Man it deserves no ones precious time or #money its just a pointless mess thats nothing but an absolutle chore to sit through.
(3)   
Gemini Man (2019) reviews from people you don't follow
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Dean (6927 KP) rated

Oct 15, 2019  
Gemini Man (2019)
Gemini Man (2019)
2019 | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
Some good action scenes (0 more)
Some of the Cgi in the action scenes is poor and for the younger Clone (0 more)
Too much CGI man
Well the trailer looked OK and obviously the idea of a younger version of Will Smith's character trying to kill the original could have been interesting. The 1st half of the film is pretty good, some cool action scenes and the story was engaging. The 2nd half fell quite flat once they have a face to face.
The Cgi in some of the action scenes was too obvious, and looked sped up, which made it look a bit odd. Most of the SFX for the younger clone was quite good apart from some of the scenes towards the end. Where he looked more like a video game character. So overall just an average Action film, with a simple plot and some good action scenes. With some occasional poor cgi in places. I was hoping for a lot better.
(3)   
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Ross (3284 KP) rated

May 5, 2020  
Gemini Man (2019)
Gemini Man (2019)
2019 | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
Good action but unsettling CGI
Much like the Justice League film, the CGI distracted me too much to enjoy the film. I don't know whether Will Smith used a body double and his Fresh Prince face was superimposed or if he did it himself (or likely a combination) but it is a little unsettling. Especially so in long frantic action sequences where it just jars and detracts from the action.
Overall a decent film but maybe too ambitious for the technology available.
Although it did amuse me to think about how the film would have been if they had just inserted clips from the Fresh Prince into the film and wrote the script around that.
(2)   
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Dork_knight74 (881 KP) rated

Jan 3, 2020  
Gemini Man (2019)
Gemini Man (2019)
2019 | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
Entertaining
Will Smith did it again. This wasn't his greatest performance but it certainly came through. Good acting and cinematography. The storyline was interesting with a few twists and turns-some predictable, some not-and plenty of . Action(with some humor thrown im too). Overall a very fun movie that anyone in the family can enjoy. Worth a watch!
(2)   
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BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated

Oct 17, 2019  
Gemini Man (2019)
Gemini Man (2019)
2019 | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
The Effects Just Aren't Good Enough
Ang Lee is a visionary Director that loves to push the envelope of advances in movie-making technology, so the plot contrivance of GEMINI MAN (a Government Assassin is being chased by his much younger clone) was right up his alley - and he makes good (enough) work of the technology that "de-ages" Will Smith and puts the older and younger version of himself on screen at the same time. This was also his 2nd film (after BILLY FLYNN'S LONG HALFTIME WALK) that Lee shot in 4K 3D at 120 frames per second (the "normal" shooting speed is 24 FPS).

He should have spent more of his time on the script..

Based on a long gestating screenplay written in the 1990's by David Lemke (and re-written in the 2010's by Billy Ray - THE HUNGER GAMES - and Mr. GAME OF THRONES himself, David Benioff), GEMINI MAN follows a Government Contract Killer, Henry Brogan (Will Smtih) who does "one last job" and is looking forward to retirement. His agency (under the leadership of Clive Owen) decides to "take him out" and sends "Gemini" after him. Brogan tries to escape but his every move is anticipated by the Gemini - a younger clone of himself (this is not a spoiler, it's in the trailer and ON THE POSTER). He is joined by a pair of "buddies" (Mary Elizabeth Winsted and Benedict Wong) in plotting how to outsmart himself.

This film had all the markings of a bad "B" film, but under the watchful eye of Lee and the charismatic performances of Winsted, Wong - and most especially - Smith, this film is actually quite watchable.

What doesn't work - the plot. To say it is contrived is to do a disservice to the word "contrived". It really doesn't give us anything new, it just gives us a bridge from action scene to action. Also, the reasoning of the Government to get rid of Brogan doesn't really work and Clive Owen - as the head of the Gemini program - and the main "suit" that is chasing Smith looks like he is sleepwalking his way through this film.

What works - the interplay and "fun" of Smith, Winsted and Wong as the 3 "professionals" on the run - and outsmarting - "the Agency". These 3 work really well off each other and I would love to have seen a "Mission Impossible" style film of these 3 doing some sort of impossible mission. Special note needs to be made of Smith's performance - as the older Brogan. He is world weary and heavy, but still has the twinkle in his eye and the physical acumen to be a top assassin. This is the type of role that Smith - especially at his age and experience - is ideal for. His charisma shines and he holds his own in the physical/fight scenes. Also, Ang Lee knows how to shoot an action sequence. True, there is nothing "new", revolutionary or evolutionary in any of the fight/chase scenes, but they are put together in a competent, professional manner and did a good enough job.

And then there is the younger Brogan - "Junior" - played by a CGI "de-aged" Will Smith.

We've seen the CGI "de-aging" effect before - most notably in some Marvel Movies like CAPTAIN MARVEL - and while it works well enough, I just don't think it is quite there yet. You can tell that something is just a little off - not enough for it to really bother you, but enough to know that something isn't quite right - especially when Junior spends most of this film on screen with his older self. You see the "real" Will Smith up against the "copy" and the "copy" looks like...a copy. Also, the "de-aging" of the voice didn't really work for me. It sounded "off" and at times it sounded like bad ADR.

I was able to shrug off these slight technical anomalies and enjoy this film for what it is - a breezy action-er that certainly entertains for 2 hours. But it is no masterpiece and no "major" technological breakthrough. That will have to wait for another movie.

Letter Grade: B (mostly for the fun interplay between older Smith, Winsted and Wong)

7 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
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