Wanted
James McAvoy stars as trainee assassin Wesley Gibson
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Saturday, 28, Jun 2008 12:28
Directed by Timur Bekmambetov, out June 25th, starring James McAvoy, Angelina Jolie, Morgan Freeman, Thomas Kretschmann, running time 110mins.
In a nutshell...
McAvoy becomes a movie star
What's it all about?
Wesley Gibson (McAvoy) is wasting his life, being bullied by his obnoxious boss and too apathetic to even care that his best friend is shafting his girlfriend. When his humdrum existence is disturbed by the glamorous Fox (Jolie), Wesley discovers that his fate is linked with that of The Fraternity, a secret society of assassins who operate on a 'take one life - save a thousand' policy. Imposing leader Sloan (Freeman) reveals Wesley's prodigious talents to him but when the latter realises the brotherhood's intentions might not be as noble as he'd believed, Wesley must take control of his own destiny for the first time in his life.
Who's in it?
James McAvoy has slowly and steadily built a reputation as both one of the most talented but also most likeable British actors of his generation, graduating from small-screen successes in Paul Abbott's Shameless and State of Play to big-budget pictures such as The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and acclaimed, award-nominated films like Atonement and The Last King of Scotland.
Morgan Freeman won an Oscar in 2005 for Million Dollar Baby and is renowned as an actor of extraordinary dignity and presence while Angelina Jolie - well, she's only one of the most famous women in the world, as well as being an Oscar and three-time Golden Globe-winner.
Timur Bekmambetov wrote and directed the highest grossing film of all time in Russian cinema, 2006's Day Watch, the sequel to his groundbreaking fantasy/action flick Night Watch, based on the novel by Sergei Lukyanenko. Wanted is his first English-language film.
To read the inthenews.co.uk interview with James McAvoy, click here
As an example...
"I knew your father." - Fox
"My father died the week I was born." - Wesley
"Your father died yesterday on the rooftop of the Metropolitan Building. He was one of the greatest assassins that ever lived. And the other one... is behind you." - Fox
"Insanity is coasting through life in a miserable existence when you have a caged lion locked inside." - Sloan
"It a choice, Wesley, that each of us must face: to remain ordinary, pathetic, beat-down, coasting through a miserable existence, like sheep herded by fate, or you can take control of your own destiny and join us, releasing the caged wolf you have inside. Our purpose is to maintain stability in an unstable world - kill one, save a thousand. Within the fabric of this world, every life hangs by a thread. We are that thread - a fraternity of assassins, weapons of fate. This is the decision that lies before you know: the sheep, or the wolf. The choice is yours." - Sloan lays it on the line
Likelihood of a trip to the Oscars
With a faint snigger rising from the screening room as the legend 'One thousand years ago, a secret society of weavers... ' flashed across the screen, Wanted is not a film to provoke thought or greatly challenge the cerebral cortex. As a graphic novel adaptation, it's far too pulpy to ever merit consideration for the Oscars or Golden Globes but with Bekmambetov having added to his box of tricks since Day Watch, Jolie at her sexiest ever and a flurry of brutal, brilliant action sequences, this is sure to be a strong contender at the Empire and MTV Movie awards.
What the others say
"This over-the-top, ultraviolent, hyperkinetic action thriller pretty much has it all." - Michael Rechtshaffen, Hollywood Reporter
"Not as dark as its source material, Wanted works exceptionally on its own terms. McAvoy crashes the A-list, Jolie finally gets to be as big a star on screen as she has been in print, and Bekmambetov proves the most exciting action-oriented emigre since John Woo." - Kim Newman, Empire
So is it any good?
Sometimes even in spite of itself. It's hard to ignore that this is a profoundly silly film, with terms like 'the Loom of Fate' and 'the Code' being tossed around, characterisation - especially for the supporting cast - at a bare minimum and McAvoy's accent floundering on several occasions.
But just as it's facile to complain about the ridiculous plot of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, dwelling on Wanted's flaws would be to ignore how consistently entertaining it is, the boldness with which it shies away from PG-13 action to deliver violent, adult thrills and the sense that Bekmambetov looks to have assured his seat in a Hollywood director's chair for years to come.
Morgan Freeman is at his scariest in years - the laughter you emit when he swears will be nervous at best - Jolie turns in a lithe, languid performance that fizzes in the set-pieces and as the plots swerves towards the road less travelled as quickly as one of Wesley's bullets, it's hard to ignore that this is the most original action film since, well, Night Watch.
But this is McAvoy's movie, without a shadow of the doubt. He holds his own with fare more established stars, beginning with such a defeated tone that you want to give him a shake and tell him to pull himself together, and ending the film an unlikely but unafraid hero.
Feelgood hit of the summer? It's not for the kids, but maybe so.
9/10
Lewis Bazley