Paramount Pictures
12 October 2019 • WAR cry • FILM 3
Double elb trouble elb Assassin faces up to a younger clone of himself, writes Linda McTurk
E
XPERIENCED assassin Henry Brogan (Will Smith) knows that he can be his own worst enemy. And now he is coming face to face with a younger, faster clone of himself who’s out to kill him in Gemini Man, which was released in cinemas on Thursday (10 October). Henry’s clone is nearly 30 years younger than him with more stamina and greater physical ability. Junior is also a very skilled assassin. Cloned from Henry’s DNA and trained from a young age by paramilitary expert Clay Verris (Clive Owen), Junior knows exactly how to hunt down his targets. Just before Henry is due to retire, he discovers that the government has a secret and as a result Clay convinces the authorities that Henry needs to be killed. Then he sends Junior after him. Fear shakes Henry as he faces his clone. Seeing Junior is like ‘seeing a ghost – like every trigger I’ve ever pulled’ he says. But despite their shared DNA, Junior isn’t an exact replica of Henry. He doesn’t share Henry’s past – something Clay sees as an advantage. He says to his protégé: ‘The whole point of this is to give you all of Henry’s gifts without his pain.’ However, Henry knows the sinister truth about Clay and wants to warn
Junior and protect him. But as Clay sticks close to Junior’s ear, who will Junior listen to – his older self or the man who brought him into Clay (left) has his own agenda for Junior the world and from whom he seeks fatherly affirmation? Because of his unusual origins, Christians throughout the centuries Junior struggles to make sense of his have taken comfort in the truth that identity and purpose. He wants Clay God knows everything about us and still loves us. One Bible writer, Paul, Our deepest desire speaks about this love of God and his son, saying: ‘God has shown us how is to be fully known much he loves us — it was while we and fully loved were still sinners that Christ died for us!’ (Romans 5:8 Good News Bible). to be a dedicated father to him, to Even though he knew all that people love him and show him who he is do wrong, God sent his son Jesus meant to be. to Earth, to die on the cross and be It is not only Junior who struggles to raised to life for our sake. Because know who he is or where he belongs of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, even in the world. In real life, many of our worst mistakes do not exclude us yearn to be liked by people we us from God’s love. God knows respect and admire. We crave their everything about us and still accepts care and affection and want to know us as his dearly loved children. that we matter to them. Our deepest When we choose to trust God, he desire is to be fully known and fully will show us the depths of his love. He loved. But when we make mistakes will guide us and offer us assurance. and disappoint people close to us, His unconditional love means that we can sometimes find it difficult to whatever our age, and whoever we believe that we are worth knowing or are, we can all have hope for the loving at all. future.