Wanted
Stars James McAvoy, Angelina Jolie
Director Timur Bekmambetov
**** (out of five)
Essentially, Wanted is two flicks in one. First, and most astutely, it�s a movie about the importance of destiny; a film that�s not afraid to ask the audience to consider their fate and purpose of being in life.
Although that may sound unappetizingly existential for hardcore action fans, consider the second movie that mostly comprises Wanted: A non-stop thriller about a secret society of assassins who shoot people in an impossibly cool fashion.
Wesley Gibson (James McAvoy of Atonement) is a bored, uninspired office jockey who begrudgingly takes abuse from his doughnut-famished boss, an adulterous girlfriend and his best buddy (who�s also the person sleeping with his girlfriend).
When Wesley is swept away to a secret fraternity by a sexy woman appropriately named Fox (Angelina Jolie), he finds out his true purpose and becomes a super-skilled killer destined to seek revenge for his father�s murder. Directed by Timur Bekmambetov (Nightwatch), Wanted makes an impressive Hollywood debut for the Russian filmmaker. Indeed, the visuals are incredibly impressive as Bekmambetov conjures up a creative combination of computer effects and live action in order to flip cars, derail trains and most notably, bend bullets around objects. Sure, it�s a bit reminiscent of The Matrix trilogy�s style, but where that series grew self-indulgent, this film has a quirky self-assuredness and sense of humour that gives balance to the darkness of the material.
As for the cast, you can�t go wrong putting Jolie in a film like this, but giving her a groovy little character twist really adds something special to the end.
And McAvoy makes for an especially surprising addition to the genre. Who knew a modest little Scottish thespian would make such a powerhouse action hero?
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