"This movie is painful." Ambar.

Rating: 7/10 (30 June 2008)

The above statement made by my friend best describes the madness that lurks within Wanted. The recent rise of the number of no-holds-barred rated-R flicks takes center stage here as we experience one ruthless gutsy film that meshes stylistic choices of The Matrix, the Bourne series, Fight Club, and even 300. If you enjoy a good portion of unrealistic yet jaw-dropping action then this is the flick for you. However, it is not a mindless action movie, which it a turn-off to those that want to shut off their brain and enjoy the carnage within. Wanted is a decent flick full of attitude, pain, torture, bullets, and more bullets. Did I mention the bullets?
Based off a comic book mini-series printed in 2003, Wanted follows a lonely, stressed, high-anxiety bottled-up blue-collar worker (This description screams LOSER) by the name of Wesley. Wesley constantly questions the world around him and his existence, but finds refuge during a brush with death after meeting the beautifully mysterious Fox. Fox introduces him to a secret league of assassins with special abilities, and there they discover that the son of one of these under-the-radar killers happens to be Wesley; and yes he has the potential to be something big. This new change in life has Wesley thirsty for more, yet the further he plunges into this underworld, the darker the motives become.
We've had several lower-profiled strong action movies in previous years, but this one rises above all of them in terms of plot. Usually an action movie has a simple plot to set the film in motion, and the plot never weaves a web of uncertainty and surprises. Wanted drifts in another direction by offering plot twist after plot twist in the midst of all the action pieces. The script, well-written by Michael Brandt and Derek Haas, not only gives us a good adaptation of the comic book, but also thrusts all these questions about the morality of assassins in the 110 minutes. A thinking action movie? Does this actually exist? The acting is also good for a movie of its type. The main star James McAvoy hides his accent perfectly and does a good job portraying the tortured soul Wesley. While Angeline Jolie seems to have more screen time in the trailers than in the movie itself, she also plays her role well. Jolie will make you drool over her body, yet at the same time make you fear her because of her sharp eyes that can crush a soul. Morgan Freedman never disappoints, and delivers easily the best line in the movie (Don't expect it to be mentioned here). Timur Bekmambetov runs the show well by giving us nice long action sequences, and by fiddling with the speed of the movie many times. The energy presented on-screen more than makes up for the obvious displays of special effects and slower moments in the flick.
However, there is a little-known flick that came out in September 2007 that delivers the same kind of over-the-top action, except much more of it. If you had not seen it, then it won't leave you disappointed in Wanted. But, if you did see Shoot Em' Up, you can't help but get the "What if" feeling when watching this movie. Wanted is decent, but is structured like an introductory film of a potential franchise; much like Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Spider-Man, Batman Begins, among others. Shoot Em' Up offers action only two minutes into the movie. Wanted could have been something really special if they threw away training montages and exchanged them with more assassinations, more insane amounts of action, and more bullets. Bekmambetov knows how to craft a good scene, and the best example is the final major gunfight towards the end of the movie (Prepared to have your jaw drop). Shoot Em' Up's lack of success can be attributed to no major stars, lack of marketing, and perhaps bad timingnot because of the quality. Just like Iron Man back in May, Wanted is good, but could have been so much better if we hadn't required time for introduction and transition from loser to killer. Wanted 2, if it comes, automatically has the advantage by not requiring backstory or set-up.
Bottom Line: Don't let the last paragraph upset you, because odds are you never saw Shoot Em' Up, and odds are you'll enjoy Wanted regardless. But, if you did, Wanted goes by this equation: Wanted = Shoot Em' Up + Plot + Angelina Jolie + Morgan Freedman  Action Scenes  Intense Irony  Insane villain.
Basically, Wanted is a good flick that sets up what can be one heck of a sequel. The director and writers have already proved that they can weave some intense action moments, so if the executives are smart, they would keep these men around. In the meantime, this movie is worthy of our hard-earned money as long as you are willing to be blown away and entertained yet at the same time think a little. Wanted earns a 7/10 from me, but a high 7/10.