One of the strangest and best Hollywood action films I've ever seen

Rating: 7/10 (14 September 2008)

It's hard to judge whether Wanted is a brilliant masterpiece or a train-wreck off a film. The plot (which is based on a comic although the similarities end after the first five minutes)is simple and potentially great: Wesley Gibson is an office-drone loser with a cheating girlfriend and bullying, morbidly-obese boss finds out his father was an assassin for a secret the 'Fraternity', an ancient and secret group of killers. Wesleys father is killed by a renegade of the Fraternity and the group recruit and train Wesley to stop his fathers killer.
What makes the film so great (for me anyway) are the weird incidental details thrown into the film without explanation, The Loom of fate, curving bullets and all, not to mention the spectacularly over the top action sequences which get so extravagant two thirds in the film completely leaves anything resembling reality or logic behind. It's almost like ancient mythological story taking place in the present day and I think thats why the film doesn't really work: the surrealy over the top mythology doesn't gel with the character(ish) driven storyline and the film runs out of steam towards the end, which isn't helped by an obvious and over used plot twist.
As for the actors, McAvoy is slightly miscast, he's great as the loser Wesley but hasn't got the charisma for the super-cool and lethal assassin Wesley, Jolie is underused, a few more lines and better characterisation would have been good and Morgan Freeman is great as Sloan (hearing him swear like a trooper and break out of his 'saintly black guy' type is one of the best parts of the film).
As mixed as this film might be I defy anyone to watch Wesleys keyboard-smashing exit from his job without smiling and there's plenty more to like about it so seven stars anyway.