Wanted

This wonderful gem--based on a comic book of the same name--features Wesley Gibson, a mild-mannered accountant working at a big firm, who is stifled in every area of his life. Work, girlfriend, money--everything frustrates him...but he cant seem to muster up the courage to speak up for himself. Plus, he has to fight constant migraines, which he takes medication for and assumes are due to his frustrating life. But hes about to find out that theres a lot more to him than he ever could have imagined. Featuring James McAvoy (who, prior to this was mostly known for playing Paul Bettanys brother in Wimbledon and Mr. Tumnus in the first Chronicles of Narnia), who is still far away from being Professor X at this point, this movie also has Morgan Freeman and Angelina Jolie in key roles (and even features a young Chris Pratt, as Wesleys office mate and cheating lover of Wesleys girlfriend). Wesley is approached out of the blue by Fox (Jolie), who tells him that his headaches arent migraines--that in fact, theyre due to his heart beating more than 200 times per minute because hes the son of a specialized assassin. Wesley thinks shes nuts...until he gets caught in the middle of an insane firefight between Fox and a mysterious man who seems to be hunting him. Wesley is eventually introduced to The Fraternity, a league of assassins that Fox is a member of, and which is led by a man named Sloan (Freeman). He finds out that these unique people have all sorts of crazy skills that no one else has, and that using a Loom Of Fate, which produces cloth that somehow determines who Fate wants to be eliminated, they have been the agents who eliminate problems for 1,000 years. Wesley is told that the mysterious man Fox had the gun battle with is a rogue member of this Fraternity who killed his father and is trying to eliminate the other members, and that Wesley is the only one who can follow in his fathers footsteps and track him down. But first, he has to learn from the other Fraternity members how to do close-quarter combat, knife fighting, reduce his reactions to pain, shoot, and most incredibly of all, bend bullets in flight with his mind. Through it all, Wesley starts to become a stronger person, more willing to speak up on his own behalf, and become a cool, confident man like his father was. He is eventually sent on kill missions, where the amazing talents of himself and Fox are put on wonderful display. Eventually, he is faced with Cross (Thomas Kretschmann), the rogue assassin...and a hugs twist in the narrative that will leave him reeling and wondering just who is who. Featuring a lot of Matrix-style action and gun play, this movie will keep you thoroughly entertained throughout.

Shades of Star Wars, the Matrix, the Professional and the Fast and the Furious make their tired appearance in this absolutely redundant, brainless and insultingly in-your-face wallet siphon called, inappropriately, Wanted. A pathetic work-a-day loser, with whom us twenty somethings are meant to relate, finds himself in the middle of a shootout between professional assassins, learns he has mystical powers and spends a few days training to become a super-powered killing machine/race car driver. This movie represents bad, bland, half-baked writing and pop-culture appropriation in Hollywood at its worst. I would gladly give no stars to this if I could... if this review dissuades even a single person from spending money on the film, Ill be happy.

Youre just a thug that can bend bullets. - Wesley Allan Gibson Twenty-four year old overly apologetic Wesley Allan Gibson (James McAvoy) lives an insignificant life. One filled with a pompous best friend (Barry; Chris Pratt), a conniving girlfriend (Cathy, Kristen Hager), an egotistical boss (Janice, Lorna Scott), anti-anxiety medication to last Gibson till the 22nd century, and zero hits on Goggle search strings with his name on it. But that all changed when he met a woman named Fox (Angelina Jolie) as well as her associates aptly named The Repairman (Marc Warren), The Butcher (Dato Bakhtadze), The Gunsmith (Common), The Russian Exterminator, and Sloan (Morgan Freeman). Gibson is fed the story that he is the offspring of Mr. X, an eminent assassin who works for a 1000 year-old collective known as The Fraternity. Sloan adds that Mr. X was shot down in cold blood by a rouge Fraternity agent called Cross (Thomas Kretschmann). Gibson is aggressively trained by Fox (and at times senselessly) in order to build his pain tolerance, proficiency in both close quarter combat situations as well as range weapons, and his genetic gift--the ability to rapidly increase his heart rat at an excess of 400 beats per minute thus sending abundant amounts of adrenaline into his bloodstream--thereby giving him the ability to see and do things that ordinary people could only attempt to comprehend. At the completion of his six-week training, Gibson is accepted into The Fraternity and sent out on several assassination missions before being given the blessing by Sloan to pursue Cross. Gibson journeys to Europe--the birthplace of The Fraternity--and interrogates Pekwarsky (Terence Stamp whos past iconic roles included: General Zod (Superman I & II), Sir Larry Wildman (Wall Street) and Supreme Chancellor Valorum (Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace)) who manufactured the ammunition of Cross. Pekwarsky is coerced to set up a meeting with Cross which leads to Gibson and Cross locking horns aboard a bullet train. Fox intervenes by boarding the aforementioned train with an automobile that eventual contributes to the derailing of the locomotive. In the process, Gibson is able to avenge his fathers death by killing Cross--but not before he is able to disclose that he in fact is Gibsons true father. Fox confirms Cross admission and proceeds to execute Gibson--who manages to escape by shattering the tempered glass window where he and Cross were situated. Pekwarsky rescues Gibson and nurses him back to health with the help of a miracle wax that stimulates the bodys white blood cells, which accelerates the healing process to a matter of days for injuries that would normally take months to heal. Pekwarsky then shows Gibson proof of his fathers love for him and his wish that his son live a normal life away from The Fraternity. Pekwarsky also passes on information (via a loom weaving, that when decoded contains the name of an assassins target) that Sloan has been earmarked for termination for quite some time. But instead to fulfilling the code of The Fraternity, Sloan had taken it upon himself to fabricate other targets for his own personal gain. It was also established that this was primarily the reason why Cross went rouge. The climactic ending takes a page out of Kurt Wimmers Equilibrium, (a 2002 futuristic science fiction film starring Christian Bale (Batman Begins; The Dark Knight)) wherein Gibson infiltrates The Fraternitys base of operations--an unassuming Textile Factory--and begins to detonate as well as shoot anything and everyone from every conceivable angle. In the end, Gibson is able to expose Sloan to Fox, The Gunsmith, and several other Fraternity members. But Sloan counters by revealing that everyone in this room has been earmarked for termination and that if they were going to stand by Gibsons accusations--they should first turn their own weapons on themselves. As Sloan escapes, Fox complies with her mandate and fires a miracle bullet (this really reminded me of The Warren Commissions theory of a single magic bullet in the John F. Kennedy assassination), which effectively kills everyone in the room except Gibson. Bruised, battered, penniless, and bloodied; Gibson realizes that he has to start out fresh in another accounting job. It is here where Sloan hopes to seek retribution--but not before being set up by Gibson. Wanted, which was loosely based on work of creators (and executive producers) Mark Millar (The Ultimates, The Ultimates 2, and Wanted) J. G. Jones (Art on Brian K. Vaughans Y: The Last Man, 52, and Wanted) also provided cinemagoers with a several thought provoking questions: Have you ever wanted to be just ordinary? And my personal favorite in regards to one taking control of their life--what have you done lately? With that said, it then brings a whole new meaning to: So, can YOU curve the bullet?

2008s Wanted defies easy characterization; it is equal parts sci-fi flick, Hong Kong action movie, and revenge thriller. It borrows heavily from the stylish violence of The Matrix and the mysticism of, say, The Order, and keeps you guessing right down to the last scene. As the movie opens, a loser Chicago accountant named Wesley Gibson (James McAvoy in a stunning change of pace from Atonement and Becoming Jane) gets stepped on by everyone in his life, from his nasty boss to his cheating girlfriend and exploitative best buddy. In a drug store to buy his anxiety medicine, Wesley is saved from a mysterious assassin by a woman of unusual talents named Fox (Angela Jolie in steely-eyed mode). The ensuing chase sequence will leave the viewer breathless and introduce Wesley to The Fraternity, whose members kill that others may live. The Fraternity is directed by the elderly Sloane (Morgan Freeman in wiseman mode) whose privilege it is to read the names of targets out of flaws in woven cloth (just go with it). Wesley is invited to join The Fraternity. After a joyous day burning personal bridges, Wesley takes Sloane up on his offer. Initiation into The Fraternity involves some incredibly vicious and seemingly impossible training, much of it designed to make Wesley realize his identity and understand his motivation. Wesley discovers he can manipulate his own andrenaline levels, allowing him to do things in ways unknown to ordinary mortals. He learns that The Fraternity is under siege from a rogue assassin named Cross. Finally, he is told that Cross is the killer of his own long-missing father. Wesley progresses rapidly from training to his first missions to the big job, going after Cross in a monastery in Eastern Europe. The job doesnt turn out quite the way Wesley expects, setting the scene for a series of unsettling betrayals and thrilling confrontations right down to a conclusion back in Wesleys old office. Wanted is pure escapism; viewers are advised to sit back and enjoy the ride. This movie is highly recommended as good entertainment built around a good ensemble acting job wrapped in first-rate special effects.

Angelina Jolie looked great as always but it would have been nice to see a little more skin. The guy who played the lead male role was unmemorable and couldve been replaced by any nobody on the street. The action was fun and the story line moved well. The Blu-Ray picture looked great. These newer BR movies are worth every penny.

Weird weird weird, thats all I can say. Wasnt my cup of tea (or any other beverage for that matter).

Great nonstop action movie!

pass

Has a proper story with a good twist. Action sequences are so cool. In short,I enjoyed the movie very well.

Great movie to Watch! Would rent from Amazon again! Watching this movie made me want to purchase the DVD through Amazon.