An underdog story

Rating: Null/10 (27 June 2008)

Rather than adopting the titanic struggle between good and evil from its source comic book, "Wanted" focus on one single character  an everyday "loser" who turns out to have more than meets the eyes. This approach has the advantage of eliciting right away empathy from the segment of audience that root for the underdog.
The first 20 minutes (the "prologue" aside) look more like a sitcom than an action thriller. Wesley Gibson, who may as well have "loser" stamped on his forehead, continues his miserable daily existence the highlights of which consists of being harassed by a typical tyrannical boss and cheated by his sneering girlfriend (with his best buddy, needless to say). When his googles his name, nothing comes up.
The rest of the movie offers little surprise  discovery that he is the son of a top-notch assassin in a mysterious organization called "Fraternity", grueling, punishing training to make him the best, various assassination assignments, confrontation with the traitor, and a twist that you should see coming if you had paid attention in the prologue. The action sequences, accenting on pistols firing with a backhand (like in tennis) and bending bullets (think Beckham) are good. But in the end, what seems to give even more satisfaction is the vindication of the underdog.
James McAvoy, on whose performance the entire movie anchors, demonstrates the excellent casting job by coming through as an empathy-winning underdog. Morgan Freeman, ever unfailingly, makes his presence felt as the head of "Fraternity". Angelina Jolie, sexuality expected matter-of-course, adds to her role "Fox" the lethal assassin a dimension you haven't seen before  a taciturn, deadly brutality. Personally, I am most happy to see good old Terence Stamp in a small role, but one that has an important part to play.