Wanted

Slick but over-stylised action flick from the Russian director behind the NIGHT WATCH movies. Plot-wise, WANTED borrows heavily from both LEON and THE MATRIX in the story of a young, slightly nerdy man working in a dead end office job who finds himself being indoctrinated into a world of assassins and massive, CGI-heavy action sequences. What follows is extremely fast paced, never for a moment realistic, and full of the kinds of unbelievable OTT scenarios that will give even the most hyperactive child a headache. We've got cars rolling through the air, trains dropping through the sky and, in the film's neatest concept, bullets that can actually bend around obstacles.

WANTED is given some decent credibility thanks to the actors who populate the parts. James McAvoy is fine for the most part, apart from a single car chase in which he screams and whines like a girl for the entire duration. Morgan Freeman sleepwalks through his role and Angelina Jolie is given little to do other than pout and snarl on occasion, but other, minor parts are given to effective performers like Thomas Kretschmann and Terence Stamp. The action comes thick and fast and with it a great deal of heavy violence, and on a superficial level the film admittedly works. But the biggest drawback is Bekmambetov, whose excessive style makes the likes of CRANK and GAMER look like sedate Merchant Ivory productions.

What did you do today? Just watching a movie, going to high school, or working at McDonalds or a generic version of Office Space? Are you an impossibly pathetic character whose movie-pretty girlfriend accepts your crappy apartment by the train tracks yet hates you enough to constantly cheat with one of your co-workers? Are you buying condoms for the best chum at work you know is doing your girlfriend? Well don't worry because all the skills of an assassin are biologically determined! A few punches in the face and some exercise and you will be James Bond perfect because your absentee father was and we all know DNA is much more important than practice or discipline.

This movie gets all of its charm from the conceit that we know it is all part of the Matrix era bullet time slickness of action and the understanding that it all comes from a comic book anyway so if you have to pick someone up all you have to do is skid sideways right into the person at high speed with the door open and scoop 'em up. No danger of breaking his legs at all. And there can never be too many times two evenly matched assassins demonstrate the fact by their bullets crashing into each other harmlessly in mid flight.

Angelina Jolie has said that sure she is carrying guns in this movie but she condones what happens to the characters so she could get behind the movie. However it resolves, though, most of the movie is a loser's fantasy of having an exciting life. That might very well suit the video game audience under 25 years old. But if you can't get past the improbable efficiency of the team and the improbable stupidity of the protagonist from scene to scene, the big twist that pats itself on the head for its brilliance will seem to belong in another movie. Had the action not been so cartoonish, maybe we could believe what it purports to say. It still exists in a vacuum-sealed circle of geek-hood one expects from Agent Cody Banks. The only difference is that he is twenty-something.

This is a very easy to watch action packed movie. It delved into your imagination and as long as you are not expecting a true to life action drama you should love it. I am not normally struck on the matrix style movies but I really liked this film. The story is not be taken too seriously, just go with the flow of the film and watch the stunts and special effects. Putting Angelina Jolie and Morgan Freeman in the movie had to be a good move with the box office bucks. But the ace card for this movie in my opinion is James McAvoy who plays the geeky guy who turns into a top assassin. At first I did not recognize James McAvoy from his previous roles like " The last King of Scotland " and ' Wimbledon ". When I did realize it was the same actor I understood what a fab actor he truly is. He portrays his character with absolute ease. His transition in his role from the start of the movie to his ending character is class. James I am a true fan !! The movie is a good watch if you are into this type of movie.

I guess this is my first moment I want to comment on the movie. The reason for that is all those negative comments.

People don't like the idea of a man making a giant leap across buildings, about the "plot of the world" and the ridicule in the movie.

But at the same time I guess they DID like Trinity's jump in Matrix, destiny (sadame) in any Japanese movie or comedy of Mr and Mrs Smith.

COME ON PEOPLE! This is NOT James Bond, Bourne or Die Hard. This is exactly the opposite. This movie in my opinion simply tries to make fun of all those movies. It's all a sarcastic view of today's action movies. Just like the bullets - bent to the fullest. For me it's more of an action comedy. The ideas are so stupid that it's funny. Why? Because it was fit in the action movie. I mean come on - the loom, the bullets, the healing stearine, the rats... How can you ever compare it to any action movie that tries to be serious? This is not trying to do that.

That's why I liked this movie - for its intelligent sarcasm and probably because of all the negative comments from people that expected a "mature action movie" and didn't understand the movie.

'Wanted' is a film that's having too much fun not to like. Who cares about the impossibility of bullet bending when most audiences accept superheroes with inhuman powers and strengths based on comic book characters. As with those comic book films, it's just a work of fiction and fantasy, and since 'Wanted' doesn't take itself at all seriously, then you can suspend utter disbelief. The casting and performances are all spot on, above all James McAvoy who delivers one of his best performances in his career so far, even if the might not be the best film he's been in. Stylish, funny, competently directed and paced, this is a great action flick with an ordinary story that is more than the sum of its parts due to slick a execution.