There is only one real reason to watch this movie.... The action sequences are one of the best ever. Well... Wanted turned out to be exactly what I was hoping I would get. There are awesomely absurd action sequences in this film that I was giddy. Very fun ride that I enjoyed greatly. 4/5 stars.
“Wanted” is a supremely odd summer blockbuster, a hyper-violent juvenile fantasy made kick-ass by Red Bull filmmaking and two hot leading actors. Much has been made in the press of the spectacle put forth in Russian director Timur Bekmambetov’s adaptation of Mark Millar’s comic book series.
Scottish actor, James McAvoy stars as Wesley Gibson (WES), a Chicago office accountant and anxiety pill addict. This guy is such a spineless loser that when his girlfriend is cheating on him with his best friend, Wesley buys the condoms.
But these days are over when Fox, a lady assassin that looks just like (and is incidentally portrayed by) Angelina Jolie shows up, liberating him from the shackles of a mundane existence in a shower of bullets and physics-defying car stunts.
Wesley, it turns out, is the son of a legendary assassin, and is a legacy acceptance into a guild of super powered killers, appropriately titled the Fraternity. Turns out those anxiety attacks were just the result of him not being able to exercise his powers properly, but now he has learned that he can charge himself up to a point where time is virtually at his command and shells can be made to travel at unbelievable angles.
The Fraternity is lead by Sloan, played by a Morgan Freeman who appears to be having a great time and remodeling his kitchen. They don’t just knock people off at random; they select targets destined to cause great suffering in the world, which caused me to wonder what sort of politicians we’ve missed out on courtesy of them.
The next few weeks for Wesley are sort of like a fantasy camp for males aged 11-65. He learns how to fistfight, knife fight, gunfight, and gets to drill Bradgelina’s feminine half.
I was pleasantly surprised to see that the film toned down the comic’s bitterness and relentlessly hateful edge; the original Wesley becomes a super-villain who butchers civilians at random and rapes A-list movie stars. This film follows the much more audience friendly assumption that when relieved of conventional law and restraint, people will enjoy dispensing pain to the deserving but will spare the sheep. Not to mention the film pushes the boundaries of the R-rating as it is.
On the casting front, I can only say that I hope this film has given McAvoy, a charismatic and talented young actor, the exposure he needs to become a favorite among audiences. Striking yet with an everyman quality that can serve well in countless roles, I’d cast the guy in a second if I were in charge of a big film.
But I’d be lying if I said the most notable performance wasn’t Jolie’s, who in “Wanted” finally finds a part that justifies the non-stop media salivation around her every menstrual cycle. As Fox, she’s a delightful presence to behold, a pistol-packing vixen whose mysterious, angular charm entices and then seduces Wesley into a life of bloody murder. Here’s hoping that Jolie saves the serious stuff for her forties and hits the action films hard for the next few years.
There’s a lot that could have gone wrong here. At the core is a story about a regular guy who becomes a relentless killer, unfolding in a manner relatively devoid of restraint, but the filmmakers pull it off. Certain facets don’t function perfectly, such as the opening five minutes or the explanation of the Fraternity’s magic textile machine (don’t ask, watch), but I found myself taken in, compelled at what would come next.
Bekmambetov infuses the action with heavy doses of slow-mo and blood-splattering gooeyness, with bullets colliding in mid-air and tumbling through the skulls of their unfortunate targets. A smash hit filmmaker in Russia, Bekmambetov has a future as a big shot Hollywood director, his inventive staging and visceral yet unapologetically quirky style certain to fill a niche for those of us who don’t mind our action served flaming hot.
Director : Timur Bekmambetov
Scenarist : Michael Brandt, Derek Haas, Chris Morgan
Actor And Actress:
James McAvoy, Morgan Freeman, Angelina Jolie, Common, Kristen Hager, Konstantin Khabensky, Terence Stamp
Production : Universal Pictures
Website :http://www.wantedmovie.com/
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