'Wanted' Movie Review

Russian director Timur Bekmambetov separates Wanted from the pack of summer movies by taking the action to a new extreme. Bekmambetov created a flashy, in your face, adrenaline-charged, ultra-violent film with effects the likes of which we haven't seen since the original Matrix movie. Wanted is absolutely relentless and deliciously nasty – a film made for action junkies tolerant of messy plots and underdeveloped supporting characters.

Wanted's the kind of summer popcorn flick that makes you completely forget everything going on outside the theater, which is totally perfect for these days of exorbitant gas prices and a flat-lining economy. Wanted's so engrossing, so unrelenting, it's difficult to find a moment to relax back in your seat and just absorb what Bekmambetov, cinematographer Mitchell Amundsen, and Wanted's talented cast of action vets and genre newbies have created. Bekmambetov's handling of effects and action sequences might be compared to the Wachowski Brothers, yet what he's done with Wanted is totally original. Bekmambetov's visual sense and American action movies go together hand in glove, and after Wanted there's no doubt Bekmambetov's name will be toward the top of the list for every upcoming big budget action-heavy project.

The Story

You know a guy like Wesley Gibson (James McAvoy) and you wouldn't want to be him. He's a cubicle-dwelling sad sack of a man who merely exists. There's nothing special about his job or his life. He's stressed out, suffers from panic attacks, and even his girlfriend has a bigger set of gonads than he does. A strong wind could blow him away, and odds are if it did no one would notice he's gone.

But there is in fact something special about Wesley. He's gone through life oblivious to the fact his father, who deserted the family when he was just a baby, was actually the world's greatest assassin and a member of a secret organization known as The Fraternity. He 'was' as in he's now dead and it's Wesley's turn to step into his father's shoes.

While shopping in a grocery store, Wesley's approached by the sexiest killer one would ever want to meet (if one did, in fact, actually ever want to meet someone who murdered people as a job). She introduces herself as Fox (Angelina Jolie), gives Wesley a very brief recap on his mysterious father's death, and pulls him into the world of The Fraternity while quite literally pulling him out of the line of fire. Seems she was followed into the store by Cross (Thomas Kretschmann), the man who took down Wesley's dad and who has now apparently set his sights on sending Wesley to his grave. Cross and Fox take their fight to the streets, engaging in one of the most complex, heart-stopping car chases on film with poor Wesley reluctantly along for the ride.

So now that he knows who his dad was, it's up to Wesley to decide if he wants to leave his rotten life behind and join in with this bizarre group of killers whose mission is to take out only those fated/deserving to die (in other words, someone who in the future will be a child molester, serial killer, or some other sort of despicable character). Oh and by the way, if he does decide to trade in being Wesley the Cubicle Rat for being Wesley the Sleek Assassin, he'll inherit his dad's millions. Wesley returns to work while making up his mind, is pushed beyond his limit by his bitchy boss, and cracks.

There's no turning back after he tells off his annoying boss but, soon after he checks in with The Fraternity, returning to that life in cubicle hell looks mighty appealing. In order to become an assassin and ultimately square off against Cross, Wesley must first get beaten down by various members of The Fraternity before he can begin to build himself up. Once he's completed his training, which involves learning to bend bullets and run on top of trains, Wesley believes he's ready to take down Cross. But things get twisty when deep dark secrets are revealed...

The Cast

James McAvoy's a long way from Rory O'Shea was Here, Starter for 10, and Atonement territory as a kickass assassin in Wanted. An unlikely casting choice, McAvoy displays an incredible talent for action sequences and absolutely looks the part. As the diminutive Wesley at the start of the film, all he needs is a mended pair of glasses and a pocket protector to be the complete nerd. Then as he transforms into this brutal, unapologetic assassin, his physique hardens, his eyes flash, and his entire body exudes a raw energy suitable for a highly trained killer.

As Fox, The Fraternity member most actively involved in Wesley's training, Angelina Jolie gets down and dirty. Once again Jolie shows she's one of the most capable actresses working in Hollywood today when it comes to handling action. Morgan Freeman delivers his lines in style as the leader of The Fraternity, and Thomas Kretschmann does a fine job of playing Cross despite the fact he utters only half a dozen words throughout the entire film.

The Bottom Line

Mark Millar and JG Jones' comic book series serves as the source material for Wanted, and screenwriters Michael Brandt, Derek Haas & Chris Morgan followed Millar and Jones' path for the first third of the film and then deviated drastically when they hit the mid-section. There the plot goes off on a new tangent, creating a backstory for The Fraternity in which they are descendants of a group of weavers who read codes in fabric in order to maintain order. Wanted then circles around to wind up with an ending that's not quite the same as the comics, but at least parallels the arc of the central character, Wesley.

This new take on the Wanted comics shouldn't come as a shock to anyone who's seen a trailer for the film. It's obvious the characters in the movie didn't have the same moral upbringing as the characters in the comics. Where Millar & Jones created full-on villains, Bekmambetov and company went for a much more likable batch of not exactly do-gooders, but at least killers who operate under a code of honor in which the ends justifies the means. Millar and Jones are satisfied with the changes made in order to bring Wanted to life on the screen, but fans of their comic books are going to have to approach the film as a totally separate entity and judge it as a stand-alone project.

From the opening scene to the final few minutes, Wanted is a white-knuckle ride with bending bullets, a car chase that'll blow your mind, and one of the most spectacular train crash/fight scenes ever put on film. If it's over-the-top crazy action you're looking for, you'll want to see Wanted.

GRADE: B+