| Wanted [Theatrical Release] | ![Wanted [Theatrical Release]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51-ot4mjkRL._SL160_.jpg)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  65 reviews
Language: English (Unknown)
Number Of Items: 1
ASIN: B0013J30W2
Theatrical Release Date: June 27, 2008
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Amazon.com
As the impresario behind gravity-defying Russian blockbuster Night Watch, it's inevitable that Hollywood would come calling for Timur Bekmambetov. With a studio budget and an international cast, including two Oscar winners, Timur cooks up a Hong Kong-styled actioner bursting with fast cars and big guns. Our unlikely hero is mild-mannered Chicago accountant Wesley Gibson (Atonement's James McAvoy), whose father died when he was a tot. Wesley never learned to stand up for himself, and his girlfriend, boss, and best buddy all take advantage until the seductive Fox (Angelina Jolie) rescues him from a sharpshooter named Cross (The Pianist's Thomas Kretschmann). After which, she whisks him away to a mansion on the edge of town to meet the other members of the Fraternity, where leader Sloan (Morgan Freeman) informs Wesley that Cross, a rogue agent, executed his father. Sloan believes Wesley has the goods to take him out, so he undergoes the Fraternity's brutal training regimen (Marc Warren and Common dish up some of the abuse). When he's ready, Sloan sends him out to fulfill his duty, but matters become complicated when Wesley finds out someone isn't telling the truth, leading our former milquetoast to exact an elaborate revenge. For those who've been following McAvoy's career to date, Wanted will surely come as a surprise. In adapting Mark Millar's comic series, Timur offers buckets of blood and a smidgen of depth, but fans of The Matrix and Mr. and Mrs. Smith will want to give this one a look. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
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| Customer Reviews: Read 60 more reviews...
 I WANTED this movie ONCE. October 7, 2008
It's visually attractive but it contains no substance. For example, the bullets shot by Angelina fly in circle! The story is defragmented and weird. I had to suppress my logic to enjoy this movie. I did enjoy it to some degree. I denfinitely don't want to see it the second time though.
 3.5--This movie is far fetched & little bizarre but that's the beauty of it! September 29, 2008
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
I thought this film was mindless, campy, and reeks of fun. "Wanted" maybe filled with plot holes as big as Jupiter but at least they made it up in the area of visual style served with a side action. You've probably met a person like Wesley Gibson (McAvoy) who is a nobody trapped in a boring world. Whose girlfriend cheats on him, his best friend is a backstabber, and he has a boss that won't get off his back. No...maybe...Well later in the film an assassin named Fox (Jolie) tries to initiate him into the Fraternity, his life is changed forever. He learns that his father was one of the best assassins in the world, and he must no walk in his footsteps. He leaves his nothing life and joins the Fraternity. He must undergo a grueling initiation, and then hunt down the man that killed his father.
`Wanted' has decent character development along with a good plot. It is structured well, with Wesley not being able to turn back after Act 1, and a great setup for the climax after Act 2. There is even symbolism in the movie with a draw bridge coming apart. It symbolized the end of Wesley's old life. There are many obstacles put in Wesley's path of killing Cross. The screenwriter made sure that becoming a Fraternity member wasn't an easy challenge. There is a great twist in the middle of the movie, which made the movie way better. The ending is very entertaining. It starts off with a big bang that was planted since the beginning of Wesley's life with the Fraternity. One problem was that the action was either overdone or illogical in parts. In one scene, Wesley hits a man with a keyboard, and letters fly off spelling a phrase I'm not aloud to repeat.
`Wanted' has a very good director and I had seen his previous films but a mild fan of them. It was a smart choice to pick a foreign director to get a new perspective on things in regards to the lighting and the settings. For example, Wesley's apartment being next to a train is a good setting because it bleak and it shows how sad his life is and foreshadows later events. The office is a good place to show how average his life is and the textile mill seems true to what the Fraternity is about. The acting is good and expected by others such as Morgan Freeman who is always a good actor, although I would like to see him in a different role time to time. James McAvoy played a great lead, reminiscent Edward Norton in Fight Club. We have Angelina, who has less line than the boss, so that makes me consider she was placed there for her fame and beauty. Even though she was the weakest of the group she was still believable and had worse material to work with. The minor actors, like Wesley's best friend did a good job as well.
Aside from that it instantly forgettable stuff but if you're looking for something noisy and totally undemanding then this would fit that bill.
 Shouldn't Angelina Jolie have to give back her Oscar after so many movies with sophomoric dialogue and retarded plot? September 22, 2008
3 out of 7 found this review helpful
"Kill one, save a thousand. That's what we believe..." come on. This is some of the worst dialogue I have ever heard in my life.
Wanted September 9, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Wesley Gibson (McAvoy) is an accounts manager with no excitement in his life. He doesn't seem to even like himself too much. Then, one day he meets Fox (Jolie), and his world is turned upside down. Fox is a member of a thousands-year old secret society of assassins. Wesley's father was also a member, with a lot of talent when it comes to killing people. Wesley believed his dad to be dead for years, but it turns out he was just murdered by Cross (Kretschmann), and the fraternity wants Wesley's help in delivering justice. Soon, Wesley discovers that he has special skills like his father, and is learning the ways of the fraternity. But all is not as it seems, and Wesley may be in deeper than he realizes.
"Wanted" is an interesting action film. It is reminiscent of both "The Matrix" and "Fight Club", but resembles neither. It is full of interesting, logic-suspending fight/assassination scenes that are visually impressive to watch. McAvoy brings life to Wesley and makes him someone that the viewer can relate to. The storyline is different enough and interesting to make it an above average action film. The supporting cast gets the job done as well. Can Morgan Freeman do any wrong? Overall, "Wanted" delivers a pretty intense 110 minutes, and is not a mindless summer action movie. This is worth checking out.
 My Second Favorite Movie Of Summr 2008 September 7, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I've been a fan of Timur Barkoustnyv since seeing his Russian films DayWatch and Nightwatch. After seeing countless previews for Wanted over the past six months, expectations were very high and I must admit while sitting in the theater, my mouth dropped open on numerous occasions at the amazing action sequences. While the film may draw some comparisons to The Matrix (which always over rated to me), Wanted easily knocks out The Matrix film with more elaborate set pieces and action sequences. The casting directors were perfect in casting James Mcavoy an unknown (save for The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe and The Last King Of Scotland) to most action junkies in the role of Wesley. Wesley is a loser plain and simple until Fox (Angelina Jolie) walks into his life. I won't give away any more of the plot as the trailers pretty much explain all you need to know. However, I will say this though, Wanted is easily the best movie of the summer thus far and one of the best action movies of the 21st century
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