Director: Timur Bekmambetov

Writer(s): Michael Brandt, Derek Haas

Actors:  James McAvoy, Angelina Jolie, Morgan Freeman, Common

Rating: R for strong bloody violence throughout, pervasive language and some sexuality.

"Wanted" is the kind of action film that asks you to check reality at the door and just enjoy the ride despite how over-the-top it might become.  So once you can accept the fact that bullets can actually "curve" if shot correctly, and that a man can jump through a sky-rise window, shoot three men, then land onto another sky-rise directly across the street, this movie should be right up your alley.  

Based off of Mark Milar's graphic novel of the same name, "Wanted" tells the entertaining story of mild-mannered Wesley Gibson, a discontent, twenty-something stuck in a ho-hum job with a girlfriend and best friend that (ahem) "carry on" behind his back.   However, Wesley's life gets a sudden shot of adrenaline when a sultry assassin by the name of Fox (played by Angelina Jolie) saves his life from another assassin supposedly contracted to kill him.  Wesley soon discovers that he has the blood of a super assassin flowing through his veins and therein joins "The Fraternity", a guild of contract killers whose sole purpose is to restore  order to the world by removing key individuals who are destined to upset the balance.

Once the numerous (and borderline tedious) training montages are out of the way, the movie shifts gears into overdrive, giving the audience scene after scene of bullet-riddled mayhem right up until the dizzying finale.  Sure a few obligatory twists and turns are thrown in for good measure but it's nothing we can't see coming.  The dark sense of humor is also appreciated especially when dealing with a movie that stretches the laws of believability more than a few times.  In essence, "Wanted" is a highly stylized, ultra-violent B-movie that just so happens to have A-list actors.  No one's winning any awards for their performances here but that in no way detracts from the overall fun factor.  

3 out of 5 stars

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