Kate: Definitely a gotta-see action film

Movie Review: Kate (2021) on Netflix

Here's another action movie you should see, just for the sheer moxie of the story. Think of John Wick but with a woman in the antihero role. Maybe a Sigourney Weaver from Aliens but taking on the Tokyo Mafia. In this case, it's Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Kate taking no prisoners and taking no sass in Tokyo. And she has Ani (played by Miku Patricia Martineau) as a sidekick. Woody Harrelson is her mentor/protector, although in many films we've come to find that Mr Harrelson rarely comes out at the end as the good guy. 

Kate is a wickedly efficient assassin, skilled in all the killer arts. But she blows an assignment to take down the leader of the yakuza syndicate in Japan. It results in her being poisoned with polonium, giving her only 24 hours to find her own assassin and complete her original assignment. Struggling to survive, she runs into the granddaughter of her target, who could help her locate the old man but at first acts more as a deterrent, until they find they have more in common than in detraction.

Lots of action, with chase scenes, gun battles, fights, and bloody melee. I'd say a notch or two below a John Wick bloodletting, but still, you will be wowed. I'd rate it an A+ for antihero wins the day. This is definitely a gotta-see action film.

Gemini Man: Spot-on Special Effects and Stunt Work Make it a Winner

Movie Review: Gemini Man (2019)
Version: Library borrow

Oh, man, Gemini Man is a mind bender. Well, sort of. It's not going to alter your life. But the special effects of Will Smith playing a young clone of himself just might make your synapses melt. And the story line is pretty good, too.

The whole premise is that Henry Brogan (Will Smith) is a fantastic sniper for the government. But he sees that his skills and his persona are wearing down from all the killing, so he decides to retire. Only, the government still needs someone with his skill set. They have hired a private firm run by Brogan's old mentor, Clay Verris (Clive Owen), to develop a replacement, and Verris has unleashed that guy to knock off Brogan. Turns out, that guy is a much younger clone called Junior (also Will Smith) raised without Brogan's foibles, ready and willing to do what Brogan now finds harder and harder to do. Working with Brogan to help him find Verris and Junior is an agent caught in the middle, Danny (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), a student with exceptional spy and organization skills. Also turns out Verris has been working on an even leaner model of Junior with even fewer inhibitions for use in the battlefield, and he might just need him when everyone comes together at the end of the film.

Gemini Man is a pithy action film as much as it is a steely sci-fi pic. Will Smith handles the dual roles of Brogan and Junior easily and moves through the demanding stunt scenes effortlessly in a seamless rough 'n' tumble chase scene through busy city streets. There are some other complex fight scenes where the two fight, too. Obviously, he's using stunt doubles, but the special effects work is spot on and the magic works great!

I'd say, sit back and enjoy. Don't work too hard to pick the plot apart. The opening scene sniper shot is a bit hard to take seriously, but if you can get beyond that, the movie is fun and the ending makes it worth suspending your disbelief to the end. Gemini Man is worth investing the time to be entertained.