Wanted (2008)

Wanted is excessive. Its story is too far-fetched to even temporarily believe and its violence/special effects show more than you'd want to see. Wesley is anxious, mentally-abused cubical drone who suddenly is informed his father was an assassin and he now must join the Fraternity (of assassins) to kill the ex-Fraternity member who killed his father. Right.

James McAvoy steps out of his normal fare to take on this role while Angelina Jolie pulls her action boots back on to be Wesley's sometimes teacher, sometimes transportation coordinator, Fox. Morgan Freeman attempts to bring the film gravitas as Fraternity leader Sloan. Even the combo of these three respectable actors aren't enough though to make this the really great action-drama one would expect from them. And there's too many elements, rules, and relationships to remember for it to succeed as a mindless thrill. It probably worked much better in its original graphic novel form.

Wanted should probably come with a warning to stay away if you think you'd mind watching a bullet tear through someone's head and then reverse and un-tear its way back out. The "R" rating is not specific enough to give that heads up.

Rating: 2/5
Recommended for: the un-squeamish who don't mind the unreasonable