Not going to lie - with that trailer and the reviews, Gemini Man isn't looking like a great prospect for my next cinema trip. But while some of Ang Lee's latest endeavours haven't really tickled my fancy, he's still a fantastic director who's crafted many strong films. Here's my ranking of his films.
Note: have yet to get around to
Pushing Hands and
Eat Drink Man Woman
11.
Hulk ✭✭
This is an interesting failure of a comic book film which really tries to replicate everything about the medium onto the silver screen. What results is quite the interesting concoction of a considerable amount of cheesiness - including one of the most hilarious death scenes ever put to screen - while taking the whole idea of the Hulk quite seriously, best represented by Eric Bana's overly morose performance. It's a strange blend that never comes together but the least that can be said for it is that it has an original vision and daring, even if the execution is very flawed.
10.
Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk ✭✭
Tempted to switch between these two for the 'bottom' slot as this was much more of a disappointment than
Hulk for me, personally. In what should be a somewhat emotionally potent tale of US soldiers coming back from Iraq and a particularly intense firefight to a publicity tour across the States, we follow a frightfully bland lead character in a story that never quite kicks off despite throwing every cliche in the book at you. It's not a film entirely without merit - there's a couple of interesting supporting turns from the likes of Steve Martin and Chris Tucker, the extra high frame rate while distracting for the most part does lend an interesting visual palette - but on the whole it's a maudlin
9.
Taking Woodstock ✭✭ 1/2
Not a particularly bad nor good film, just a very average by the numbers dreamed with some mildly amusing performances. The story of the Woodstock festival does seem like it has potential for more that isn't really realised here, but as it is it's not a terrible type of this sort of film. It could've perhaps used a bit more focus, as it feels like it tries to grapple with too much with the festival, the protagonist dealing with his hiding his homosexuality, and a wide group of perhaps too many characters, in fact one aspect of the film involving the protagonist's Vietnam veteran buddy does seem like it has potential but it's too rushed as well.
8.
Ride With the Devil ✭✭✭
An Ang Lee Civil War western sounds like a great proposition for a film. Well, this isn't a great film, but it is a decent one with some genuinely great scenes in the midst of it all. What really needed work here was some editing to relieve the slog of the midsection, and tightening of focus, as the whole idea of following guerrilla soldiers and outsiders to the Civil War is pretty interesting, despite some slightly weak acting by some of the supporting players. The dynamic between German-American immigrant (Tobey Maguire) and the freed slave (Jeffrey Wright) is one element that could've had a film entered around it, but as it is it's a good film with some particularly striking costume design and action set pieces.
7.
The Wedding Banquet ✭✭✭✭
A slight but satisfying 'US-Asia-cultural-differences-comedy', this is an entertaining, cute and at times rather affecting film about a gay Taiwanese immigrant who has to hide his relationship from his parents when he undertakes a fake marriage with a Mainland Chinese woman. It's a very well made comedy of manners so to speak with just enough depth to resonate, and even though it ends perhaps a little too neatly, it's still a thoroughly enjoyable flick worth catching.
6.
The Ice Storm ✭✭✭✭
70 suburban drama isn't necessarily my favourite genre but this is a pretty solid example of it, with Lee really getting some substance out of the genre by a uniformly strong ensemble - with Kevin Kline, Sigourney Weaver, Joan Allen, and very young Tobey Maguire, Christina Ricci and Elijah Wood giving terrific performances - and capturing a real sense of community and distance within the two neighbouring families at its centre. It's not the easiest watch, particularly its exploration of sexual frustration and a particularly upsetting ending, but a worthwhile one.
5.
Life of Pi ✭✭✭✭ 1/2
Adapting this novel to the silver screen was always going to be a nearly impossible task, and credit must go for just about pulling it off. With a fantastic leading performance by Suraj Sharma who's acting opposite a CGI tiger for the most part, it's a poignant survival tale with stunning technical elements, particularly the cinematography and score. Lee creates a very intimate yet grand scope with his directorial vision in a film that I'll admit I don't love, but I certainly like it a great deal.
4.
Brokeback Mountain ✭✭✭✭ 1/2
First and foremost just a phenomenal acting showcase for both Jake Gyllenhaal and the late great Heath Ledger, this romantic Western just hits all the right sweet spots for such an old-fashioned sort of tearjerker. I'll admit that certain segments while the two main characters are apart are a bit less interesting, but any scene with them together is just fantastic as we see two characters grow together and apart in such a heartrending fashion, directed with such nuance by Lee. Bonus points for that ending which is one of the best scenes of both his and Ledger's career.
3.
Lust, Caution ✭✭✭✭ 1/2
Quite literally a film of two halves, an espionage thriller and erotic romance all in one, in which you can tell Lee is having a lot of fun playing with the contrasting styles with. The leads Tang Wei and Tony Leung Chiu-wai sizzle with chemistry in every scene, with the latter actually giving something of an underrated performance in his line of work, in this tale of a university student who goes undercover to seduce a Japanese collaborator. Though it's a divisive film I'd confidently refer to it as one of Lee's very best, escalating the tension and emotional stakes with equal aplomb.
2. Sense and Sensibility ✭✭✭✭ 1/2
One of the very best Jane Austen adaptations, lovingly adapted to Oscar-winning by Emma Thompson her in giving her Oscar-nominated turn, and playing the iconic Dashwood sisters to perfection. The whole cast is perfectly cast down to the smallest role, with particular mention to Alan Rickman's incredibly moving portrayal of Colonel Brandon, but what's particularly worthy of note is how Lee manages to in his first entirely English-language production capture the essential British-ness of the source material and time period with such dexterity. It vibes along with such a great sense of time and place while telling its timeless story with such style and is just a fantastic novel adaptation overall.
1.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon ✭✭✭✭✭
Lee's masterpiece well deserving of the hype at the time, and really features everything there is to love about a great Ang Lee film. The technical elements are all great but really great on an altogether different level with regards to the regal score, the sumptuous set design and costumes, the great cinematography and action choreography. The story is simple and straightforward but carried so well by the vividly realised characters and performances, and whether it's leaping through the trees, skulking across the palace grounds, a desert flashback or a passionate declaration of love, Lee creates a martial arts extravaganza like no other.
