Director Ang Lee's personality is very meticulous, and this impression comes from many interviews in the market. His answers were always cautious, walking on thin ice. But behind these cautious responses, there is also a vague stubbornness in the bones, which can be called a needle hidden in cotton. He has the strength and softness of traditional literati in him.
He is a literary director. Although his famous work is a martial arts film, his works never lack humanistic care. His style is changeable, and he is as good at taking advantage of the trend as running water. He understands the secrets of film in two hours, and he also grasps the characteristics of genre films. What you want to see, he will definitely let you see. His narration is very familiar. More importantly, his use of stunts, like spring rain, moistens things silently.
Twin themes are not uncommon, and it seems that masters from all over the world have to submit a "twin" theme answer sheet. In the distance, there are Kurosawa Akira's "Shadow Warrior", 2012's "Ring Messenger", and recently Zhang Yimou's "Shadow". More in literature. The earliest can be traced back to the six-eared macaque in Journey to the West. Even if fighting over a monkey has the power to penetrate the sky and pierce the earth, and subdue demons and monsters, how can he fight and win when he faces the mirror image of himself? Or will they die together?
When Sun Monkey scattered Mao into the army, human beings had already started their imagination of cloning technology. If so I hear it.
On the road of excavating the interest and connotation of similar themes, all kinds of gods have their own abilities. Ang Lee has apparently found his secret:
The reason why the twin themes endure for a long time actually comes from the mapping feeling between father and son.
Father and son are inheritance and copy. Emotions are complex when you are confronted with another man who is similar to you. His abilities, his hobbies, his ways of behaving are similar to his own. But he was younger and more energetic. He will surely surpass himself one day, stronger than himself, taller than himself, and more handsome than himself. When that day comes, it also announces that "oneself" has completed the meaning of life, and that oneself has a more "perfect" substitute. At this time, your feelings are complicated and difficult to express. You are depressed that life has fallen into nothingness, and you also feel that life can continue. You are amazed at the cycle of the timeline, and at the same time, you are confused by the mutation of genes.
The sniper scene at the beginning got off to a good start. To kill a passenger on a moving train with a speed of 100 yards per hour, thousands of miles away, is like a dream. This scene is convincing, and the image of a powerful agent (Xiaoheng) stands up. After that, Xiaoheng betrayed the National Intelligence Agency and was hunted down by the organization.
In terms of plot structure, it is reminiscent of "Blood Drops" directed by He Menghua in 1975. The Qing court also had a killer organization, Xue Dizi, and the protagonist was hunted down by the organization because of his kindness to fight against Xue Dizi. Although it is an old film, it is outdated, but its connotation and concept are not conventional. In 2012, Liu Weiqiang had a remake. For some reasons, the plot has been changed a lot, the core spirit has been cut out, and the ideas and themes are nondescript. The film was devastated because of this, so let's not mention it.
A Taiwanese came to direct such a play, set in a democratic country where Americans rebel against the totalitarian rule of the National Intelligence Agency. This is intriguing.
Later, Xiaoheng met his fateful opponent, a more powerful pursuer. The first scene of the chaser is extremely exciting, it can be said to be the essence of the whole film. Xiaoheng's daring art master, and the vicious means of his pursuers, and his superior skills, are all vividly portrayed. In particular, the two-male motorcycle chase scene is even more hearty and addicting.
Ang Lee added a deep shot (follow-up shot) in the chase scene, which changed the past that the chase scene was only portrayed on a flat surface. This was his invention.
It is a pity that the film has not been able to go up the stairs since then. The second appearance of the hunter Xiaoke is far less amazing than the first time. In the underground plaza of the museum, after Xiao Ke played with various anti-special tactics, he was knocked to the ground by Xiao Heng with three punches and two feet, which made people surprised. The two heroes fight for life and death in the underground square, and Xiaoheng has repeatedly stated that guns are not allowed. He doesn't want to use external force to win his opponent, he just needs to prove that his physical fitness is not surpassed by the new participants, and he also wants to prove that his genes are the authentic ones, not the "copy". This scene makes people feel the cruel life struggle between father and son.
Xiaoke's third appearance is even more abrupt. After his "biological father" persuaded him earnestly, he turned his face and surrendered to the enemy. There is no foreshadowing, no psychological characterization. Lost in roughness. . According to rumors, the script changed hands. When director Ang Lee took over, there was little room for adaptation. After that, the plot changed, and the tension almost disappeared. No spoilers here.
Worth going to the cinema.
The first half can be scored 5 points, the second half can be scored 3 points, and the overall score is 4 points.
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