Dark Humor and Non-Stop Action, Fun Summer Film

Rating: 8/10 (29 December 2008)

I know there is a lot of hate going around for this movie (though it oddly manages to maintain a decent rating despite the nay-saying...) but I would really urge people to watch this movie before letting the opinions of others affect their views on it. Sure, the movie takes some liberties with plot and, obviously, physics, but it makes for a fun action/popcorn movie. It is, after all, just a movie. After seeing this film, I would say it was one of the most fun action films of 2008. It's got plenty of violence and stylized action with a dose of sexuality and a decent plot...Wesley Gibson is a miserable account manager with a dead-end life until he is approached by the beautiful Fox, who informs him that his father was a master assassin who had been murdered days before. Gibson is recruited into an assassin's guild known as the Fraternity to hunt down and kill his father's murderer.
The quirk with the Fraternity is that it's assassin's have the special ability to raise their heart rate above 400 bpm, pumping incredible amounts of adrenaline into their system and giving them superhuman reaction speed...basically "bullet-time". So you can expect a lot of over-the-top stunts, including the ability to curve bullet paths. Why there has been a lot of complaints about this aspect of the movie, I don't know. It's not really over-used and it adds a cool element to the movie. The film has PLENTY of action throughout, though most of my favorite scenes were during the course of Wesley's training with the Fraternity. The film also has a "twist" ending, though it isn't difficult to see the truth coming.
For a popcorn flick, the film boasts a great cast. Morgan Freeman is Sloan, the overseer of the Fraternity, and it's the first time I've seen him in such a role. He did seem a little awkward with some of the rougher dialogue towards the end of the film (though I guess it's to be expected...I never expected to hear Freeman spouting "Kill THIS motherf***a" in a film). Angelina Jolie is wonderfully sexy as Fox, though I'm biased to the point where I'd love Jolie in just about ANY role. Rounding out the primary cast is James McAvoy as Wesley Gibson; I had not seen any of McAvoy's previous work but I loved his work in this movie. He is perfectly suited to play both the meek, anxiety-ridden account manager and the elite killer he becomes. He does a great job inducing the element of dark humor into the film with his great delivery.
While I've read quite a few complaints about this film, I can't understand why. It's a guilty-pleasure action film and it's not to meant to be taken completely seriously. It's just a MOVIE and a fun one to boot. When you watch this film, just sit back, disengage your brain, and enjoy the non-stop action and fun characters.