Review of Wanted (2008) by Stevenf — 15 Aug 2013

Wanted is a narrative story that is told from a very unique point of view, Wesley (James McAvoy) insults the audience from the get go, and he tells his story as if reading it from a journal, meaning that we maybe aren't supposed to hear what he is saying, the film could care less for what people think, in other words, and it triumphs for that matter, bending the rules and the bullets for that matter. Wesley is an average and routine individual, letting every single thing in his life, no matter how minuscule, annoy him. His routine life is turned on its head when he meets Fox (Angelina Jolie), a master assassin who introduces Wesley to a whole new world of opportunities, starting with him being trained to kill targets that come out of a loom, and interpreted by the leader of the assassins, Sloan (Morgan Freeman).

The unique take on the tale stems from the absurd nature of it all, bending bullets is not impossible, but simply unheard of, these guys can do it, they can also shoot a fly out of the air through focus and instinct. Its a truly edgy and alternate take on a familiar storyline, but one which never stops going and adds more and more kick to every scene. James McAvoy is convincing as am unlikely hero who can pull out the stops when necessary, and plays the frightened nerd with equal ease. Angelina Jolie is perfectly cast as the quiet yet destructive Fox, she has problems with her job but settles for the fact that she is good at what she does. Its really quite simple to enjoy these sorts of films, they don't take themselves seriously but deliver in heaps and bounds what they set out to do, Wanted sets out to questions every aspect of basic gravity laws and deals in the unorthodox nature of talking to the audience, but it mostly enjoys every damn minute of it, as should we. Wesley's bombardment of questions and queries are really what sum it up, that it is just ridiculous but to simply enjoy it, as there is never a dull moment of some spectacular set pieces or twisted events, adding in many humorous quips and a steady script and you have yourself an enjoyable and action-packed thrill. Certainly not the most logical or quiet of films, but its has some spectacular effects and a bunch of fantastic performances, with a confident script and edgy story that is entertaining until the credits roll.