Review of Wanted (2008) by Zanele J — 30 Dec 2012

By Zanele Jiane.

Wesley Gibson (James McAvoy) is conned into believing his father is dead and is recruited to kill the man who killed him. He later learns he has been lied to, feeling betrayed by the fraternity of assassins who trained him to be a super assassin, gave him a small fortune, liberated him from his constant panic attacks, and made him confront his fears.

He realize that the cost of the betrayal too great and sets off to uproot the fraternity and expose their corrupt leader Sloan (Morgan Freeman) , who uses the fraternity to do his dirty work. Wanted is a live wire of entertainment. It is instilled with energy and vigor. The training sequences are engaging, and sometimes beyond belief, but the movie creates an environment that allows for the suspension of belief. James McAvoy truly shines in this demanding action thriller. He plays the movie with extreme energy, you almost expect to see his veins on the neck to pop open. The slow motion sequences adds to the rush. His character goes through a fantastic arc, he starts at work as a push-over and ends up taking charge his life.

We relate easily to him and want to identify with his new self. Fox (Angelina Jolly) is Wesley's personal trainer and does an amazing job, she is believable as an assassin and is quiet loyal to the fraternity, even to the point of death. She is not just an assassin, she is a martyr and a team player, she had to kiss Wesley, just to shut her whiny ex-girlfriend.

This is the sort of movie one is likely to enjoy many times over.