An Action Packed Thrill Ride From Start to Finish!

Rating: 10/10 (28 June 2008)

Wanted is simply one of the finest action movies I have seen in a long time. It is the perfect summer action flick, and might just be one of the finer summer films thus far.
Wanted is the story of a nobody office worker named Wesley Gibson. Wesley is a young man who is awkward and does not know how to stand up for himself, and because of these things his life is a complete wreck. He has an awful job with a horrendous boss, and then on top of that his girlfriend is cheating on him with his best mate. Wesley's life just seems to be a complete waste, until one night a mysterious woman named Fox rescues Wesley from an assassin. Fox takes Wesley back to meet her leader, and here Wesley learns that she is a member of a secret Fraternity of Assassins. At the Fraternity's headquarters, Wesley is told that he possesses all of the powers to be in the Fraternity, and is coerced by the Fraternity's leader to become an assassin. Once Wesley begins his assassin training, he learns that his father was an assassin as well, and that he was killed by the rogue assassin Cross. Upon learning this Wesley begins to train harder in order to avenge his father.
Wanted delivers everything I could ask for out of a great action movie, tons of explosions, cool fight scenes, and a few new tricks that I have never seen before in an American action movie. Each action sequence is masterfully crafted, and includes spectacular feats that are completely unrealistic, but who cares, it's a comic book movie. The film was really well directed by Russian action director Timur Bekmambetov, who utilized everything from slow-mo to awesome zoom-ins to deliver the pulse pounding action scenes. Of course, not only does it have plenty of action to satisfy the viewer, but it also has a good story. Now the story is by no means thought provoking, but is original, unique, and unlike any action film I have ever seen before. The script is both funny and suspenseful, managing to pull off both in a fashion that would make the kings of the action genre proud. Though what really surprised me about Wanted was the acting from James McAvoy, who is most well known for his roles in films such as Atonement and The Chronicles of Narnia. McAvoy successfully makes the transition to action star in this film and definitely sells you this often outlandish story, and makes you believe that this Fraternity of super powered Assassins could truly exist in our modern day world.
Overall I felt that Wanted was one of the best summer films I have seen so far, and that is no easy task, seeing as how we have already had a terrific summer for movies up to this point. The only disclaimer to put on this film is to heed the R-rating. It is full of blood, gore, bad language, and some sexual material. If you are offended by any of these things you should not see Wanted, but if you don't mind them, such as myself, you will have a terrific time with this film. I can't wait for this one on DVD.
Wanted gets a perfect 10 out of 10!