"Wanted" tells the tale of one apathetic nobody's transformation into an unparalleled enforcer of justice. In 2008, the world will be introduced to a hero for a new generation: Wesley Gibson (James McAvoy).
Good but it doesn't excel anywhere. A bit Matrixy/Daywatchy - futuristic assassins with slight superpowers do their stuff. It has a Good twist at the end, but doesn't quite have any replay value (except for naked rear view of Jolie!). Well worth a watch !!!
Great film but quite violent. Quite unpredictable if a bit unbelievable in parts. Action stunts brilliant and good cast. Worth watching.
Highly entertaining, albeit nonsensical and structurally redundant, comic book action thriller directed by Russian flavour of the month Timur Bekmambetov ("Night Watch", "Day Watch"). "Wanted" is essentially "The Matrix" sequel we never had, and though its" not a patch on the Wachowski brother"s intellectually stimulating, Haryun Yahya-esque classic, there"re nods aplenty; with themes such as an imposed exaltation of false consciousness, some John Woo style heroic bloodshed and a character template which borders on narrative plagiarism: James McAvoy (i.e. Thomas Anderson / Neo) as our everyman hero inducted into a secret war by gorgeous, gun totting assassin Angelina Jolie (i.e. Trinity) and guided by old sage / master killer Morgan Freeman (i.e. Morpheus). "Wanted" wasn"t a movie I was particularly looking forward to, and yet those shots of an impressively athletic, though painfully thin, Angelina Jolie holding two guns whilst waxing lyrical about magic bullets and mystical orders seemed reasonably good, after all, when it comes to portraying deadly, mysterious, impossibly hot hitwomen; you can"t go wrong with Angelina on board. Her co-star; Scot actor James McAvoy, is perhaps the unlikeliest hi-octane action hero since Sean William Scott in "Bullet Proof Monk", and yet Macavoy does well to define his character in the mundane environs of his soul-destroying day job, we cringe as he endues a catalogue of professional and personal humiliations; his loser existence, almost on a par with that of future Stewie in "Family Guy"s: The Stewie Griffin Story". It"s so bad, that we"re actually thankful for an absurd change of pace and rooting for this poor sap to undergo a radical, adrenalin-fuelled transformation. McAvoy's performance in these early scenes is not dissimilar to Ewan Macgregor's turn as put upon caretaker Robert Lewis in "A Life Less Ordinary", in fact, a lot of scenes with Jolie & Macavoy will remind you of the Cameron Diaz & Macgregor"s dynamic from that picture. "Wanted" is a well paced, sometimes lurid, violent and sexist thriller, yet its so far removed from anything resembling reality that all is forgiven; in much the same way as you"d run with a movies like "Live Free Or Die Hard", "Bullet Proof Monk, "Forbidden Kingdom", Crank" and the director"s own "Night/Day Watch". Timur does some fine work here; executing a plethora of stunning camera moves, even copying the van flip from "Night Watch" with a Ferrari. In the end; its pretty much Joseph Campbell fare all the way with, an awkward attempt to inject some "Fight Club" style philosophy towards the end, and though we"ve seen stuff like this a thousand times before, "Wanted" hits the mark more often than not, and works well for what it is; just don"t expect much, and you"re bound to enjoy the ride.
WARNING: This is not a realistic film. Please be aware you may bounce up and down in your seat with glee while watching this.
Based (extremely loosely) on the hugely enjoyable comic book of the same name, Wanted is your basic transformation story of Average Joe into Hard-as-Nails Assassin Joe. James McAvoy plays the aforementioned Joe with great enthusiasm, and is the most inspired piece of casting since Bruce Willis in Death Becomes Her. You utterly believe that such a comedy wimpy underling could be transformed into an uber assassin. His American accent is also flawless (to my English ears, anyway). Angelina Jolie plays his mysteriously sexy sidekick, appropriately named Fox. And her performance is, well, foxy. In that supernaturally foxy way of hers which means you can"t quite believe that she"s a real person and not some computer generated Sprite of Perfection. Morgan Freeman is the head of the assassin group and McAvoy"s mentor. Unfortunately he once again turns in a gently lazy performance; for once it would be nice to see him take a role that actually makes him flex his acting muscles, as opposed to coasting along, keeping himself afloat on his general charisma. If you know the director, Timur Bekmambetov of Nightwatch and Daywatch, you will recognise his visual flair straight away; and you may also spot a couple of familiar faces from his Russian action films; namely Konstantin Khabensky as The Exterminator (sweet man with bomb rats) and Dato Bakhtadze as The Butcher (portly yet rather expert knife fighter). Bekmambetov has a unique, sometimes breathtaking style that has breathed new life into the action genre and given it a sense of crazy, visceral fun rather than the hammy tongue-in-cheek stuff regularly churned out by Hollywood. There is absolutely no pretence whatsoever at realism in this film, which is a good thing. It"s so cheerfully outlandish that it becomes amusing rather than tiresome, while the graphic displays of blood and guts keep it adult rather than cartoonish.
Be warned, however, that if you are a fan of the original comic book you will barely recognise the film; think of it as "inspired by" rather than "adapted from". Despite this, the creator of the comic book has given the film an enthusiastic thumbs up; it"s good to see he"s not precious about his work and can appreciate a re-imagining. This is perhaps a bit of a shame, since the comic book storyline had some elements to it that could have added a far more interesting dimension to the film. This is, however, a small complaint. What the film wants to do, it does brilliantly; it"s a high octane blood-drenched froth of guts and guns. The best action movie for years.
Wanted is possibly the most action packed film that summer 2008 had in store. Full of gunfire, car chases and fast moving trains, it may not be for the faint hearted. You may be thinking this is a lad flick then, but there is much more to this film than words can describe. The way the film begins with an explanation of the Fraternity and continued with overhear descriptions is an excellent way to keep an audience informed, and just the start of something breathtaking.
The special effects present in this flick are top class, fast paced and at times so intense that they are hard to follow. From jumping across buildings, cars spinning 360 degrees in mid air, train crashes and close ups of flying bullets, you will be so wrapped up you will find yourself biting your nails and jumping in the chair you are sitting in. Everything seems so well choreographed and directed it is hard to believe it only a film that you are drawn in and not a real life situation.
Be warned of the gory shots you will come across on screen though. Shootings are very detailed, with revered directionality of shooter and path, which is amazing, while the method to get young Wesley Gibson trained as an assassin, is brutal and very violent.
This may be an action flick but while viewing, you will treated to some comical aspects too. The supermarket scene and its hilarious use signals and signs is remarkable, the apologies Wesley gives and the spelling of words through keyboard keys as the anger takes over him are some the films finest and funniest moments. There are also some emotional and rather heart-warming touches to slide alongside the humour and action.
The cast involved in Wanted have done a marvellous job in bringing to life a story of devastation and assassination. James McAvoy as the lead character has an extraordinary transformation from geek account manager to bad-ass assassin. From his hysterical manor in the car and terrified expressions, he is transformed and given an attitude transplant; his build up to success is an amazing onscreen sight. Incredible actors such as Angelina Jolie and Morgan Freeman surround McAvoy; Freeman gives a speech much like his part as president in Deep Impact.
The scenery sets the film alight with beautiful surroundings and fast city images, so much so that it gives you shivers down your spine at some points. With the conclusion to this film having a twist you wont see coming and an amazing turn of events where the truth is revealed, this is a must see for the summer.
In this extremely action packed movie, it follows an anxious accounts manager Wesley Gibson (played by James McAvoy) who is walked all over, in his life, by his girlfriend, his best friend and his boss at work. Gibson soon learns that he is the son of a world class assassin who was part of a fraternity of assassins until his recent death. "Fox" (played by Angelina Jolie), another fellow member of the fraternity, soon tracks down Gibson and informs him that the fraternity wants to train him to be one of them and to revenge his father"s death by killing the man who killed his father.
Gibson agrees to join the fraternity but first he must learn the ways of the fraternity. Fox and the leader of the fraternity, Sloan (Morgan Freeman) soon teach Gibson how to control his special powers and to become an assassin. However, the Fraternity is not what it seems and Gibson soon discovers corruption and betrayal that he must defeat to survive.
A truly great film, with a little bit of something for everyone including high powered car chases, intense gun and knife fights and enough plot to keep you interested. Well worth watching
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Please note this is a region 2 DVD and will require a region 2 (Europe) or region Free DVD Player in order to play. Loosely based on the comic book miniseries of the same by Mark Millar and J.G. Jones, WANTED, directed by Timur Bekmambetov, follows anxiety-prone office drone Wesley Gibson (James McAvoy) as he is inducted into the Fraternity, a clan of powerful killers that counted his father as a member. Pursued by rogue agent Cross (Thomas Kretschmann), Wesley is trained by the sleek, sexy Fox (Angelina Jolie) and the charismatic Sloan (Morgan Freeman), among others, to be just as proficient and deadly as his father. Once Wesley becomes a master assassin, he must confront Cross, and contend with the stunning ramifications of that encounter.
Slick, fast-paced action thriller in which a mundane office worker is transformed into a lethal assassin. Wesley Gibson (James McAvoy)'s life is one of dull routine. Trapped in a dead-end office job, unappreciated by his boss, and cheated on by his girlfriend, Wes has accepted that he's never going to amount to much in life. But all that changes one day when he meets the enigmatic Fox (Angelina Jolie), a member of a secret society of assassins named The Fraternity who want to recruit Wes into their ranks. Dealing out death as ordained by fate itself, the society's leader, Sloan (Morgan Freeman), tells Wes that the father he always thought was dead was actually one of their top assassins, and that following his recent murder, he must now avenge his father's death by releasing the dormant powers he has inherited. Although reticent at first, Wes quickly warms to both the task and the icily-sexy Fox, as he discovers his natural aptitude for the job at hand whilst despatching the bad guys with supremely energetic efficiency.
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