ABC Film Challenge – 2000s Movies – W – Wanted – Movie Review
Director: Timur Bekmambetov (Night Watch, Day Watch)
Writer: Michael Brandt, Derek Haas, Chris Morgan (Screenplay)
Writer: Mark Millar, J.G. Jones (Comic Book)
Cast
- James McAvoy (Split)
- Morgan Freeman (The Shawshank Redemption)
- Angelina Jolie (Lara Croft Tomb Raider)
- Terence Stamp (Last night in Soho)
- Thomas Kretschmann (Jungle)
Plot: A frustrated office worker discovers that he is the son of a professional assassin and that he shares his father’s superhuman killing abilities.
Runtime: 1 Hour 50 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Wanted starts when officer worker Wesley (McAvoy) believes his life is going nowhere, he finds himself targeted by an assassin Cross (Kretschmann). He is saved by Fox (Jolie) who introduces him to a secret fraternity of assassins run by Sloan (Freeman).
As Wesley starts his training, he learns physics aren’t what they seem, and he must train to defy them. Once he is trained, he will start working with the assassins before getting a chance to kill the man who killed his father.
Verdict on Wanted
Wanted is an action thriller that is based on a comic book movie. It will give us a typical origin story, as we follow Wesley as he enters into this world. the typical montage training and preparing all work well.
The story does keep everything personal for Wesley, which will intensify his motivation to improve. Even if there is a twist in the story, leading us in a different direction than we would have expected.
The action is slick, with the use of the slow-motion bullet speed for the bending shots, the unique appeal of this movie. The final shot out is intense bringing a relentless feel to what has changed.
The performances are great with McAvoy taking the nerdy figure and turning him into a badass. Angelina Jolie is the badass assassin that is as deadly as she is gorgeous and Morgan Freeman as the mentor leading is calmness through and through.
Where to Watch: Wanted is available on Netflix and Sky now.
Final Thoughts – Wanted is an all-out action romp, never backing down or caring about collateral damage.