Wanted: A Review

Last night I saw Wanted. Going in, I only knew what was shown in the trailer; basically that the movie was going have high action and a moderate disregard for the rules of physics. Moments before the movie started I learned that the whole thing was originally created as a graphic novel. Based on these things I figured I was in for a good time.

Wanted follows a group of high-end, specialized assassins known as The Fraternity. Each assassin has a particular specialty: knives, fists, guns, and the ability to “curve” bullets. Wesley Gibson, an “account manager” with an anxiety disorder, quickly finds out that he is the son of a member of The Fraternity who is killed in the opening scene. Wesley’s tasked with killing his fathers murderer, a rogue member of The Fraternity. From here the film kicks into high gear with wild chase scenes which include Angelina Jolie driving a car with her feet while lying across the hood and shooting at a van. Did I mention the moderate disregard for physics?

Despite twists that can been seen a mile away, the movie is actually very good and written incredibly well. The films writing, especially the Wesley Gibson narration, felt like something Chuck Palahniuk would put together. This is actually pretty surprising considering the writing team’s previous credits feature the likes of 2 Fast 2 Furious. Even more impressive is that the film is directed by a Timur Bekmambetov, a Russian director who prior to Wanted had not made a single American film. Somehow these rag-tag elements came together and manufactured a quality action flick that stands out from the typical summer-time popcorn movie. Needless to say I enjoyed it and recommend it to any interested.