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"Wanted" tells the tale of one apathetic nobody's transformation into an unparalleled enforcer of justice...
James McAvoy: Wesley Gibson
Morgan Freeman: Sloan
Angelina Jolie: Fox
''Welcome... to the Fraternity. This gun you're holding belonged to your father; he could conduct a symphony orchestra with it.''
Well what can I say about Wanted? I can start by saying it's one of the most adult, graphic novel adaptation's of brutal execution that is bordering, seaming even, with fast paced drool worthy action sequences and over the top violence.
Think Matrix or a kick ass shoot out film like Shoot em Up or Equilibrium but with a hell of alot more guns, even more tantalizing possibilities and skillfully defined plot twists.
Mark Millar's graphic novel is brought to life by visionary Director Timur Bekmambetov, who did Night Watch and Day Watch.
Might I say the music also on this, which is very important to me in a film, was sheer perfection that really made the scenes totally seeped in adrenaline.
I don't know why but Danny Elfman musical tastes always appeal to me, he does a more unorthodox approach with Wanted which pays off in spades.
The theme of Wanted is all about taking charge of your life and making your own choices, something that the very premise of the first hour of the film both adheres to and contradicts. Rather than analyze it here (and waste time arguing the pleasantly mad logic of a movie where bullets bend stylishly), I'll leave that to the people who inevitably will, assuming the bullet-fu and gore don't completely captivate them (and they should). Wanted IS violent, truly, and yet it doesn't strive to turn every frame into a gory, action-packed orgasm. The film handles it with grace and a style I sorely wish more action movies took into consideration.
''Kill one, maybe save a thousand.''
The three main stars James McAvoy, Angelina Jolie who is strangely gaunt but beautiful still, and Morgan Freeman shine bright in this, giving professional believable performances as skilled assassins. The former McAvoy who plays Wesley is the perfect transition from a nervous medication taking accountant unaware of his destiny, to a honed, skillful bullet curving assassin. A particular scene where he stands up to a fat bitchy woman at work and his so called friend who's sleeping with his Girlfriend is a total pleasure to watch.
Also pleased to see Thomas Kretschmann as Cross who has more to him than meets the eye, and Terence Stamp as Pekwarsky shows some older class.
Wanted utilizes incredible special effects, a cast of very talented actors, and a storyline that keeps the audience interested just enough, without detracting from a constant pace of spectacular action. Wanted will not win any Oscars, but it accomplished what it set out to do: entertain and be fun. You might need to be in the right mood, or even with the right crowd, to enjoy this the way it was intended to be.
Wesley: [yelling to Janice] Shut the fuck up!
[the office grows quiet]
Wesley: [to co-workers] She has one single iota of tenuous power. She thinks she can push everyone around.
[grabs Janice's stapler]
Wesley: You don't need this.
[throws stapler into the wall of his cubicle]
Wesley: I understand. Junior high must've been kind of tough, but it doesn't give you the right to treat your workers like horseshit, Janice. I know we laugh at you, Janice. We all know you keep a stash of jelly donuts in the top drawer of your desk.
[crouches down]
Wesley: But I want you to know, if you weren't such a bitch, we'd feel sorry for you. I do feel sorry for you. But as it stands, the way you behave - I feel I can speak for the entire office when I tell you... go fuck yourself.
This Wanted is exactly what you are looking for. It requires a minor suspension of belief(curving bullets around objects to hit targets on the other side), but if you enjoyed titles like Fight Club(which is far more intellectually stimulating, but nonetheless an action flick), Shoot 'Em Up, Crank, and Smokin' Aces(which Common was in, too) then there is no foreseeable reason why you should not enjoy this delightful action-fest that can slap a smirk on your face in even the most violent moments. I imagine it is an incredibly difficult task to construct a scene where everyone in the audience can gleefully smile as they witness people getting their brains blown out. What's more, I got the vibe that the audience did not feel sadistic while witnessing such scenes, instead many therein chuckling under their breath, if not laughing.
''My father was wrong about one thing. Everything they told me wasn't a lie. They taught me how to kill, how to feel no pain, and most importantly, that every job has a perfect weapon. Well *I'm* the perfect weapon. And I'm supposed to run? I've been doing that my entire life. So I say no. I say kill them all and let fate sort out the mess.''
Be it the amazing car chase or epic battle on a fast moving train or that last showdown with an array of rats blowing up and substantial killing by Wesley as he tries to shoot his way to Sloan.
You think you know who the villains are or that it will consist of a simple plot, you don't have a clue, Wanted turns us upside down along side it.
Wanted appeals to the dark side of my humour and the ending and conclusion had me smiling and feeling inspired. Wanted may use decoys pardon the pun but it ends up being a full blown tour de force in it's own right.
Wanted stands up as an action packed Blockbusting Shoot out masterpiece.
Wesley: [narrating] Six weeks ago I was ordinary and pathetic, just like you. Who am I now? Account manager? Assassin? Just another tool who was mind-fucked into killing his father. I am all of these. I am none of these. Who am I now? This is not me fulfilling my destiny. This is not me following in my father's footsteps. This is definitely not me saving the world.
Sloan: Still trying to figure out who you are?
Wesley: [narrating] This is not me... this is just a motherfucking decoy.
Sloan: [guy in cubicle turns and looks down; Sloan, realizing his error, looks down to an X made of post-it notes on the floor] Oh, fuck.
Wesley: [narrating] This *is* me taking control; from Sloan, from the fraternity, from Janice, billing reports, ergonomic keyboards, from cheating girlfriends and sack of shit best friends. This is me taking back control of my life.
9/10
