Wanted: better characters. Otherwise sharp and intense

Rating: 8/10 (7 November 2008)

Unsatisfied with his life, Wesley Gibson (McAvoy) joins a group of assassins to hunt down the man who killed his father.
From trailers, Wanted may seem like an ordinary action thriller with a stereotypical list of characters but Bekmambetov's picture is very diverse from your run of your mill conventional genres with a truly intense twisting plot and a bizarre choice of direction.
As good an actor as McAvoy (Last King of Scotland) is, he can't do anything about the stereotypical hero character he plays. Bored with life, feeling he has more potential, hasn't found love etc. These conventions of a central character won't surprise the most optimistic viewer. Sadly Angelina Jolie (Tomb Raider) and Morgan Freeman (Million Dollar baby) are also stereotyped and thankfully the plot makes them slightly different.
Wanted is sharp, fast and importantly interesting and diverse. This film fulfils the action genre with guns, chases and fighting. The thriller genre is also justified through the intensity of the central ideology.
Gibson has joined the assassins to hunt down the man who killed his father and though this may scream that idea of unsung hero defying odds to get retribution, there is a charm about the approach in this picture. Despite logic saying that the clichés and conventions of scenes and ideologies are repetitive, the action and likability about the picture will keep you hooked right till the very twisty end, with one of the best final lines to a film in recent years.
The approach is made intriguing through the direction. Very sharp and sophisticated, Bekmambetov is able to create an artistic action thriller with a slow down motion. As bullets fly, as the pounding in Gibson's head gets louder we are given this stylistic vision of slowness and is so different and bizarre that it simply has to be admired. There isn't one bad shot in the entire film and credit to Bekmambetov who has changed the ordinary view of an action thriller into a piece of art.
His advancement and directness help create that cutting edge to the film and we are thrust into Gibson's life head first.
The plot is exciting and always interesting, if some scenes are predictable and unrealistic. There are many twists and turns along the way which makes Wanted an intriguing thriller with excellent direction, if not the best characters.