Impressive action but predictable twists

Rating: 6/10 (22 July 2008)

Wesley Gibson works in an office. He suffers panic attacks often (mainly brought on by his boss Janice). His girlfriend is having an affair with his best friend. In all, his life is plain and dull. That is until the mysterious Fox tells him that his father was an assassin, and then Wesley finds himself with an organization called The Fraternity, training to kill the man who killed his father.....
Wanted is based on a series of comics. I've no idea how faithful the movie is in relation to the comic books, but as a story it is a bit predictable. There are a couple of twists that take place, you could see coming.
Having said that however, it is still a very enjoyable movie. James McAvoy as Wesley is impressive in his first leading role in a major blockbuster. The supporting cast led by Angelina Jolie and Morgan Freeman are pretty good, even though most, with the exception of the Jolie and Freeman characters don't really stand out.
However, the impressive thing about this movie is the style it's shot in. Timur Bekmambetov, who directed the wonderful Night Watch & Day Watch movies, brings that style here. In some ways it is similar to that of The Matrix, with bullets swerving round corners, or assassins so good they can hit each others bullets. However, it is very well done, and the movie does have some impressive set pieces, the highlight for me being the train sequence.
Unlike a lot of the summer movies, it doesn't skimp on the bloodshed when people are shot. It's rare for a so-called blockbuster to be given an 18 (UK) certificate, and it's a refreshing change to see a movie aimed at adults instead of the teen audience as usual.
As a summer movie it is good. With less predictable twists, it could have been better.