Paradoxically not that awful...

Rating: 6/10 (6 July 2011)

Wanted is that kind of testosterone-fueled, neuroses-free, beastly movies made to satisfy pre-pubescent boys, with hot dangerous women, loads of guns, exploding heads, blood-spatter etc, etc.
The plot is stupid, despite some vaguely interesting twists, but overall, the premises are dumb.
Typically, I should have hated it. But, but... I can't help myself but admit that, hey, it was fun!! there is a lot of black comedy in it, with some lines quite reminiscent of Fight Club on certain aspects, and Wesley cynically-depressed voice-over made me smile a few times.
The pacing is quite good, you are never bored (well, it's almost too much), and, you can easily dive into the story.
What makes the difference with Wanted though, is the choice of James McAvoy as the lead, who, decidedly, is an incredibly versatile actor (try to compare this performance to Atonement's or Shameless' and you'll get what I mean). He is flawless as the post-modern-depressed Wesley, a looser soon to turn assassin, and the transformation the protagonist undergoes is just wonderful to watch. He is the biggest asset of the movie, bringing a bit of depth in it.
Jolie and Freeman are OK, their part weren't that demanding though.
Finally, the movie is visually interesting, one can not fault the direction here, for it's audacious and allows most of the movie to have no plot whatsoever.
To summarize: leave your brain at the door to watch it, there is room to enjoy it despite its huge flaws.