McAvoy, Common and Jolie shoot the meat in WANTED(2008).
© Universal Pictures

Mania Grade: B+
Movie: Wanted
Starring: James McAvoy, Angelina Jolie, Morgan Freeman
Written By: Michael Brandt & Derek Haas - based on a graphic novel written by Mark Millar
Directed By: Timur Bekmambetov
Distributor: Universal Pictures

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WANTED: A Ballet of Bullets and Blood

WANTED is the blow-you-through-the-back-of-the-theatre, surprise smash of the summer; the ultimate Walter Mitty fantasy for a nihilistic age. It’s a movie that also successfully seeks to inspire. That fact that the inspiration is coming from a big budget summer action flick makes it all the more remarkable. Is it really possible for a rollicking, hilarious, poignant, vicarious, deconstructionist, action blockbuster, dramedy to make you think and feel and quite possibly even get you to re-evaluate your life? The answer is yes.

Angelina Jolie as “Fox” sparkles with seductive smarts and finally becomes the action star she wanted to be in Tomb Raider. Her only drawback is how frighteningly thin she’s become. It’s very noticeable and actually took me out of the movie for a moment. I sincerely hope she’s not falling prey to the epidemic of eating disorders that’s slowly strangling the women in this business.

James McAvoy (Atonement) is a “fish out of water” throughout most of the film even after he becomes adept at his new vocation as super assassin. It’s not until Wanted’s finale that he becomes the heroic, sexy, action hero. By keeping him down to earth through most of the picture we stay connected to him in a way that’s atypical for the genre. In the end, when he transforms into the “action star,” so do we because Wanted is ultimately is a dark take on the “find your true self” movie.

 

McAvoy’s Wesley Gibson is a real everyman, infinitely more relatable than say, Die Hard’s John McClane. For anyone that has ever dreamt of being something more, of feeling that there’s something you were put here to do but just haven’t found out what yet, Wanted is gleeful, wicked inspiration.

The rest of the cast is equally impressive. Morgan Freeman is, well, Morgan Freeman; I loved him in Electric Company; I love him in Wanted. He’s so good I’d be happy just to watch the guy sleep; never a false moment from him. Split second/spot on direction by Russian director Timur Bekmambetov (Russian record breakers Night Watch and Day Watch) shows a flair for both small scale, intimate comedy with an indie edge and epic, action set pieces that are literally jaw dropping. The chemistry between Jolie and McAvoy is thick. Who wouldn’t follow Angelina wherever she led them, and McAvoy is the perfect fish for her hook. In the film they share a scene that is the ultimate revenge on a cheating ex- girlfriend. There’s also a wonderful character arc completion gag that’s built on McAvoy’s penchant for apologizing. It’s a great touch in a movie replete with great touches (look for a great automated teller machine bit), and it’s those touches that keep the momentum rolling.

In a summer that has given us quite possibly some of the most fun we’ve ever had at the movies, Wanted carves out a refreshing niche for itself. Wanted is not a perfect film; as the film moves from a more comedic pose to a dramatic one, it loses a bit of its speed. Some characters that serve as plot devices could have been given more to do or say and the film isn’t as groundbreaking as, say, The Matrix while clearly being inspired by it but, for me, these are relatively minor points. 

 

One of the reasons the movie works so well is that it doesn’t take itself too seriously. Its script, director and cast never veer too far from fun. (If you can read between the lines, the following is a spoiler.) But there’s a climactic, dramatic moment featuring Jolie that goes against the genre’s clichés when in fact you almost hope it won’t yet you’re completely satisfied and grateful that it does because it plays true and doesn’t fall into the same achingly predictable black hole that most other action films get sucked into. The scene acts as a graceful and quiet exclamation point to the whole affair. (End of spoiler.)

Like a cross between The Office, Run Lola Run and Die Hard, the wide pallet that Wanted allows itself also allows us to have a really great time at the movies and come away maybe a little more inspired about our own lives than we were when we went in. Now what more could you have “Wanted?”