Gemini Man Doubles Down

Gemini Man, the newest Will Smith vehicle, is a movie that showed great promise with its previews and trailers showing two Will Smiths, both top range assassins. The elder of the two, Henry Brogan, is at a stage where he wants to retire. His last job is to assassinate a terrorist on a train in Belgium from two miles away while it is travelling at high speeds. Brogan informs his superior that he is retiring, as he feels that his career with 72 certified kills is enough for any mans soul to carry.

He starts his new more relaxed life, and goes fishing. At the marina, he meets Danny Zakarweski (played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead) who is the new manager of the marina. While out on the water, Brogan is contacted by an old army buddy Jack Willis (Douglas Hodge) who gives him information that his last hit may not have been who or what he thought.

Then it’s a journey that covers several countries, closely followed by assassins who do not want him to find the truth. Along the way he comes face to face with his own face trying to kill him, and struggles to understand who the younger man (Junior) is. Theories mostly include having an unknown son. Once the truth is actually revealed, Brogan is shocked and delves deeper into the increasing mystery.

A great supporting cast also include Benedict Wong (most recently from Avengers: Endgame and The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance), Clive Owen and Linda Emond. While the cast is outstanding, a few things felt flat, including constant close ups of a young Will Smith which still looked computer generated despite it being an overlay on the actors face, the overuse of slow motion in fight scenes, and extending unneeded fight sequences between Brogan and Junior.

While overall the story line is a bit predictable, the actors gave great performances with the help of renowned director Ang Lee. The scenery and sets are lovely with the different countries showing different aspects, although Budapest got a bit confused with Paris. The lighting is excellent, despite a lot of the movie occurring at night, which is a nice change from many dark “realistic” movies. Keep an eye out for the motorbike chase scene which is very well timed. The science fiction component is rather thin on the ground, but as purely an action flick, it’s fun to go watch on a lazy afternoon.

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Susan Chester-Woods