Wanted

Review by Sean Lynch

If there was an awards ceremony for "Most Stupid Movie That Is Unbearably Enjoyable", Wanted would quite comfortably walk home with a burlap-sack full of trophies.

It's been a long time since a popcorn movie of such magnitude and quality has hit our screens in which you can quite happily leave your brain at the door and become completely engrossed by something so outrageous, without purpose, shallow and morally corrupt - and not feel bad for doing so.

Wanted (from the director of the visually stunning cult hits Night Watch - and a man who obviously loves the Wachowski Brothers) tells the tale of an everyday pathetic office-working nobody's transformation into an unparalleled enforcer of violent justice.

His name: Wesley Gibson.

Wes (James McAvoy) slowly crumbles within his office cubicle, his confidence destroyed daily by his boss, his girlfriend pounded nightly by his best friend, his life plodding along towards an uninspired and long-awaited conclusion.

That is, of course, until he meets a sexy assassin named Fox (Angelina Jolie) who informs him (amidst a supermarket gun fight) that his estranged father has been murdered... and that dear ol' Daddy was the world's greatest assassin.

Without warning (and a rather enticing cash injection of $3 Million into his bank account) Wes enters into 'The Fraternity' (an ancient secret assassin society) that trains Wes to avenge his dad's death by unlocking his dormant powers, which until this point, he has mistaken for anxiety attacks.

There are twist and turns aplenty, as are the gun fights, fist fights, knife fights, train fights, loom fights and car explosions. In fact, not since The Blues Brothers has such little respect been given to the welfare of the motorised vehicle.

Wanted really is a fun flick. Pushing aside the fact the film serves an open invitation to inspire a new generation of schoolyard shooters, the out-and-out silliness of it all can't be ignored... just enjoyed.

The cast are excellent, with Jamie McAvoy delivering a hilariously likable performance which will no doubt make him the next call on any directors list in case Shia LaBeouf is busy.

Jolie is gorgeous as always, needing to do little more than flash those puppy dog eyes in order to intoxicate the audience (the gratuitous bum & back shots don't hurt her stocks either...).

But the real find here is Morgan Freeman casting aside his "serious actor / narrator" persona, taking on a role that would normally be Samuel L. Jackson's bread and butter. Yep, the entry price is worth every penny if only to hear Morgan "Shawshank-Redemption-whimsical-old-man" Freeman utter the phrase:

"Let's shoot this Mother F**ker right here"

Never has hearing the F-Bomb dropped in a theatre been more enjoyable than this!

4 out of 5

Wanted
Australian release: 31st July, 2008
Official Site: Wanted
Cast: James McAvoy, Morgan Freeman, Angelina Jolie, Terence Stamp
Director: Timur Bekmambetov