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Movie review: 'Wanted' (Blu-Ray)
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Put down Shoot Em' Up. Pick up Wanted.
Wanted/2008/Blu-Ray
Directed by: Timur Bekmambetov
Starring: James McAvoy, Angelina Jolie, Morgan Freeman, Terence Stamp, Thomas Kretschmann
The Plot: Ripped straight out of a graphic novel - Wanted is the blood-soaked saga of professional office whipping-boy turned murder-master. Wesley Gibson (McAvoy) finds out that his recently deceased father was a member of "The Fraternity". A collection of modern day gun-Jedis who can put a bullet through the eye of a needle if need be. The Fraternity need Wesley to take down his Father's killer. Why? Because he's a child of fate and the only one with the hidden skills to complete the job... Or is he?
The Good: The not-so-ancient Hong-Kong inspired martial art Gun-fu finally has its centerpiece. For those that get a kick out of guns, girls, tattoos, knife-fights, fist-fights, gun-fights, car chases, car wrecks, train wrecks, and all manner of general assassinery, Wanted might be the best way to kill an evening since George Bush Sr. vomited all over the Japanes Prime Minister back in 1992.
To quote a friend of mine when I asked him why he paid good money to see The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor last summer, he said: "It was ridiculous, and stupid and dumb... I loved it." Which is half how I feel about Bekmambetov's Wanted.
Though not nearly as dumb as it should be, but well beyond the Webster's definition of ridiculous, Wanted is that slow-motion heavy, trick photography'd, three-levels-of-good-looking-film-trailer flick that I usually avoid like a bout with flesh-eating piles. This one however manages to rise above it's slick looks and acrobatic gunplay to land on the side of good graphic-novel-to-film-adaptations (From Hell, Road to Perdition) as opposed to the bad side of that coin. (League of Extraordinary Gentlemen) The beauty of Wanted is that once you know it's based on a comic book, all bets are off on maintaining a level of belief in reality that all other movies may demand.
Russian Director Timur Bekmambetov, (creator of the sublimely handsome, but genuinely confusing and muddled Night Watch/Day Watch movies, as well as the upcoming Moby Dick adaptation I discussed here) is that kind of visual improvisation wizard that looks at a story like that in Wanted as a way to grab our common film perception by the nipples and twist them till we scream and giggle with joy. Bullets fly, people fly, people die, and rats are used in ways that Decon Corporate hasn't thought of yet. There are so many visual tricks and gags in Wanted that a viewer may want to check their personal bullsh!t meter at the door and enter with the clear mind of a child. Believe me, the ride here is outrageous, and ridiculous, and stupid, and you might just love every bloody minute of it with the right mindset.
It does help having a capable actor lead the film. James McAvoy's been Hollywood's young "it" actor since he caught the entertainment industry by surprise in Kevin MacDonald's Last King of Scotland. Last year he had the handkerchief crowd weeping into their embroidered snot-gowns when he played Robbie Turner in Atonement. James brings much more to an action movie than I thought a serious young actor could be capable of. Not only does he give us the best American accent ever done by foreign competition, (this is how you speak American Ewan McGregor...) but he's a solid action lead. I'm sure having Angelina Jolie as your sultry side-kick helped sell the package, but I want to see more of this young, gifted actor playing this young, gifted assassin.
The Bad: Wanted really goes over the top. And not just over the top of Angelina Jolie's naked ass. Like I said earlier if your bullsh!t meter is turned to the "on" position at all times and places you might want to skip Wanted. And if you have any real love for rats as a species, (call this one Rata-blewie!) I'd advise a solid skip as well.
The Ugly: Angelina Jolie. Naked. Oh, sorry I thought you still had your bullsh!t meter on....
The Verdict: Wanted kicks a new level of ass. It's bold, it's bloody, it's sexy, it leaks strong doses of liquid bad-assery into the minds and hearts of grown men... Consider me a newborn fan of Timur Bekmambetov. Now give me a sequel Timur, and I'll put the gun down.
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