Wanted's Wesley Gibson, played by James McAvoy, lives a life that may be all too familiar to some people.  He's a meek, cubicle dwelling, anxiety-ridden nobody with a job he hates, a girlfriend who nags him, and a feeling that he's supposed to do something bigger with his life.  Having such a relatable main character is essential to the film's success, because nothing else in Wanted resembles the real world.  Instead of creating an action movie steeped in Bourne-style realism, director Timur Bekmambetov brings a fantastical vision to the screen that resembles The Matrix on crack.  It may be ridiculous, but it still makes for great entertainment.

Wesley's humdrum life gets just the kick start it needs when a mysterious woman named Fox (Angelina Jolie) corners him in a drug store.  She tells him that his recently murdered absentee father was one of the world's greatest assassins, and one amazing action sequence later she's introducing him to a whole group of killers known as The Fraternity.  This thousand-year-old secret society, run by a man named Sloan (Morgan Freeman), wants Wesley to embrace his inner bad-ass and hunt down the rogue agent who killed his father.

Wanted is loosely based off the series of comic books by Mark Millar and J.G. Jones, and Bekmambetov succeeds in bringing both the tone of the books and their crazy style of action to the screen.  Those looking for plausible thrills should look elsewhere, because Wanted is set in a world where bullets can curve and people can shoot each other while flipping their cars upside down.  As outlandish as it might sound, it all works due to the hyper-realistic world the director creates.

It's this world, and especially Bekmambetov's way of bringing it to the screen, that make Wanted a can't-miss experience.  The director previously helmed the Russian vampire flicks Night Watch and Day Watch, which were record breaking blockbusters in his home country and minor cult hits in America.  Those movies were determined to create scenes that left you with your mouth agape, muttering, "Did I really just see that?"  Wanted often delivers the same dizzying effect., bringing mind-blowing special effects to the screen that elevate the action above your typical run of the mill summer movie.

Aside from the stylish direction, the excellent performances also go a long way in selling the reality of the film.  The Scottish McAvoy is not only believable as an American, but he's equally convincing as both a meek, frightened office drone and a guy who can kill a dozen men without breaking a sweat.  Angelina Jolie, who has mentioned in interviews her insistence on excising many of her lines from the script, is quiet, cold and ruthless as the deadly Fox.  She can get across more with a look than many actresses convey with an entire monologue.

Though the film has similarities to both Fight Club and The Matrix, it's not interested in the philosophical underpinnings that elevated both of those movies to classic status.  Wanted's entire message can be boiled down to "stop being a wuss and start kicking some butt," but its simplicity isn't a bad thing.  The film may not be deep, but it's also not stupid, and it never talks down to its audience.  It's more concerned with outlandish thrills than meaningful subtext, but what else would you expect in a summer blockbuster?


- Don Williams, BuddyTV Staff Writer
(Image courtesy of Universal)