New to On Demand and DVD: Gemini Man

© 2019 Paramount Pictures All Rights Reserved. Credit: Ben Rothstein

Everyone looks in a mirror. Sometimes we like what we see, while other times our reflection is a painful reminder of who we are. What happens though, when the mirror image of you is trying to hunt you down and kill you? That’s just part of the story for the film Gemini Man from director Ang Lee.

Henry Brogan (Will Smith) is an assassin. Working for various arms of the government, Henry is brought in for that special shot that takes the best, because he is the best. But the number of kills in Henry’s past is catching up with him. He has made the decision to walk away from the job that has been so integral to his life. That decision is met with some trepidation within the walls of the power; they won’t let Henry just walk away.

As Henry is heading to the water to relax, he meets a student named Danny (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) manning the docks where his boat is moored. As he digs deeper into her background, Henry realizes Danny is more than a student. In fact, she may actually be one of the only allies that he can trust in his race to find out why his own government, whom he has faithfully executed orders for, wants him dead.

On the run after leaving his Georgia home, Henry sets out with Danny on a worldwide quest to stay alive and get to the bottom of the situation. Why are they after him, and who is the man that the government has sent to kill Henry?

Gemini black ops unit leader Clay Verris (Clive Owen) has the only killing machine that could be up to the job, and when Henry sees a mirror image of himself, the story goes to a much deeper level. Who will survive?

As a director, Lee has brought us many a visionary film — from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon to Life of Pi. Gemini Man is another film to add to his lengthy resume with unique visuals and the ability to bring those to the screen, though at times, some of the youthful Smith scenes felt very computer generated in their appearance.

I liked Smith and Winstead. Two very likable actors are stuck in a film that feels a bit scattered and lost. The film needed at least another 30 minutes or more to tell the complete story, and the cuts left plot holes that were hard to connect. The possibilities of the plot, a story that was intriguing to me, left too many unanswered questions.

I liked Gemini Man, but I wanted to love it. I liked most of the visuals, but I wanted to love all of the visuals. Instead of a legendary director putting together a memorable film, we are left with Gemini Man, a less than perfect clone of what the film should be.

Gemini Man is available On Demand and on DVD beginning Jan. 14. Check your cable system for availability