Film Reviews

Wanted

• Rating:
• Director: Timur Bekmambetov.
• Starring: James McAvoy, Angelina Jolie, Morgan Freeman, Terrence Stamp.
• Details: US / 110mins (15A).

Those of you who enjoyed Bekmambetov's 'head-scratching but fun, but head-scratching' Watch movies will be pleased to know that Wanted, his first Hollywood foray, is more fun than head-scratching; those who enjoyed those convoluted plots might be a tad disappointed, as this actioner strips back all those philosophies we've come to expect from the Russian's films. The script, adapted from Mark Millar and J.G Jones's comic book series, has just enough psychological wackiness to keep the brain working as the bullets fly (and curve), however. McAvoy, just about passing for an action hero, plays the dull Wesley Gibson, a wet and miserable office clock-puncher who's so dispassionate about life he doesn't care that his girlfriend is sleeping with his best friend. Along comes Fox (Jolie), who tells him she's a member of a thousand-year-old gang of assassins called The Fraternity, a lethal band dedicated to wiping out bad guys the world over. Because his father was a member, Wesley is indoctrinated into The Fraternity, given a rigorous (read insane) training course and discovers that he has powers he never knew he had (like jumping really far and making bullets fire around corners and whatnot). But are The Fraternity who they say they are? What Wanted does and does brilliantly is take the hitman movie, mix it with the super hero movie and deliver the super hitman movie - anyone salivating yet? Like John Woo on uppers, this is fast fast fast and throws in some of the most memorable and inventive action sequences seen in a long time. Never far away from the action is Bekmambetov's ideas on fatalism, taking time to explore Tony Robbins's Awaken The Giant Within mantra. Oh, and there's an army of bomb-carrying rodents too. Naysayers will argue that it's all too ridiculous, but if you buy into the silliness from the off, Wanted can be a lot of fun.

Review by Gavin Burke