It’s hard to imagine Wanted being released at any other time than summer. It really is a summer movie, full of whiz and bang and pop. It’s a comic book movie, literally, with sharp effects, a cool visual style, and crudely drawn characters.
James McAvoy (Atonement, The Last King of Scotland) plays Wesley. Any character in a movie named Wesley (Princess Bride excluded) is bound to be a bit of a dweeb. And this one is no exception. He’s a cubicle-dweller. He’s Thomas Anderson before he became Neo.
During a visit to the drugstore to refill his antidepressant prescription, he meets Fox (Jolie), a woman of more curves than words. She’s part of The Fraternity, a brotherhood of assassins, and she’s there to protect him from the man who killed his father. Fox recruits Wesley into The Fraternity, and he discovers that he doesn’t really want to be Dilbert when he grows up.
Yes, it’s insanely unrealistic, but when has a comic book movie ever been noted for its realism? Wanted is based on a six-issue miniseries by Mark Millar, not a freaking Frontline episode. It’s got what audiences want these days—a sexy broad, great action, some snappy one-liners, and some kicking style. If you want compelling, multifaceted characters, go to a play.
If you want to make the movie deeper, then you can reflect on the messages it sends about the morality of killing one to save many. Can you keep your humanity when you take away someone else’s? Are people born killers or do they need to be trained? How long can you stay in a cool secret assassin job without medical benefits? Where does Fox take her dry cleaning?
Either way, you’re unlikely to come up with answers. Chances are you’ll be too distracted to even come up with the questions.
Considering the octane of Wanted, you shouldn’t expect to notice the acting. Any character development is just filler between action scenes. That said, however, Wanted has a professional bunch of hams who know how to deliver flat and obscenely bizarre lines, such as “This gun you’re holding belonged to your father. He could conduct a symphony orchestra with it.” Kudos to Morgan Freeman and Terence Stamp for keeping their dignity. Angelina Jolie has revealed in interviews that she cut most of her lines, feeling that a professional assassin wouldn’t be so talkative. It was likely a good decision.
The action is the real star of the movie. Any movie where Angelina Jolie can essentially play jai alai (while using her co-star as the ball), is fun to watch. Michael Bay should be quaking in his boots. Director Timur Bekmambetov is easily the most interesting talent to come out of Kazakhstan since Borat. Known on the other side of the world for his vampire franchise—Night Watch, Day Watch, and the upcoming Dusk Watch—this is his first American film. Clearly he loves Hollywood movies.
And so do we. If you Wanted a lot, you might be disappointed. But if you’re looking for fun with slightly existential undertones, it works.
