Wanted is an adrenaline rush that tries to redefine the action genre. It feels fresh more because it's a mash-up of other groundbreaking films rather than because its fresh on its own terms.
Those unfamiliar with the excellent Night Watch will likely find the work of directorTimur Bekmambetov to be thrilling. Bekmambetov uses a graphic, stylistic approach to his films that engages the audience in different ways.
Bekmambetov has woven his unique style into the fabric of predecessors like Fight Club and Matrix. James McAvoy is Wesley Gibson, a disaffected young man, whose boss treats him like dirt, whose best friend is cheating with his girlfriend, whose dead-end life sucks. He is the chosen one, however, and it takes Fox (Angelina Jolie) to bring it out of him.
While Wanted draws heavily from these films, it also charts its own complex, dark story about a fraternity of assassins (known as The Fraternity) who take down one to save a thousand. But the world has changed in the thousand years of The Fraternity's existence, and Wesley has to navigate these new complexities as he follows his destiny as a member of the group. He also embarks on a quest to kill the man who killed his father.
McAvoy and Jolie bring the required amount of bad-ass to their roles. McAvoy makes the transformation from tool to super action figure believable and interesting. Jolie adds a dark edge to her action persona. Morgan Freeman is pretty unidimensional. Think Jon Voight in Mission Impossible, rather than Laurence Fishburn in Matrix.
Ultimately, Wanted is not a great movie, but it is, fortunately, a film that has greatness in it. Even when it falters it intrigues and excites.
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