Review of the motion picture film WANTED (2008)
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Wanted . . . . . . Dead or Alive
CAST LIST:
FOX - Angelina Jolie
WESLEU - James McAvoy
SLOAN - Morgan Freeman
PEKWARSKY - Terence Stamp
CROSS - Thomas Kretschmann
THE GUNSMITH - Common
THE REPAIRMAN - Marc Warren
MR X - David Patrick O'Hara
THE EXTERMINATOR - Konstantin Khabensky
THE BUTCHER - Dato Bakhtadze
MOVIE REVIEW :
I love movies. For those of you who know me, know that my love of movies runs just as deep as my love and adoration for the written word. Just like books, songs, plays, and Broadway.... there is always the good.. the bad... and the ugly. I propose we impart three more options into that phrasing.
The Awesome. The Extreme. The "Oh...My....God".
I'll refrain from mentioning that trilogy based on the concept of humans being batteries for robots and living in a virtual reality, simply for the fat that this movie (though imparting some of those same CG special effects that obviously originated in the earlier mentioned trilogy) is a cut above the rest. People will have their own opinions, so if you don't like mine, or prefer not to have your movie spoiled because you haven't seen it yet - stop reading NOW.
*SPOILER ALLERT - CONTINUE READING AT YOUR OWN RISK*
There are those of you who will love this movie in true cult fan fashion, and those of you who will absolutely hate it. There are those who will immediately go online and look for trailers, posters, character paraphernalia and dream of becoming an assassin. Yet still others will fantasize of playing tonsil hocky with the tattooed goddess Angelina Joile (Gone in 60 Seconds, Tomb Raider, Beowulf, Mr. & Mrs. Smith). Better yet, her 28 year old co-star James McAvoy (Children of Dune {2003} ; The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe {2005}; The Last King of Scotland {2007} ). Then there are the idiots who will go out and try and attempt to ''curve the bullet'' as seen in the movie - and I say "idiots" deliberately due to a posting I saw where one person tried to "curve the bullet" around their brother and shot him in the leg. Since I am writing this review and I have seen the movie, as well as possess an above average IQ and a healthy dose of common sense.... please do not go out and be one of those idiots.
I loved this movie from beginning to end. It appeased the writer in me with its well written script, intriguing base story, and the most amusing narrative by the lead character Wesley. His story is not that much different from normal people. He woke up in a sulky apartment, went to an job he hated (accountant / account manager), came back and fought with his girlfriend - who was doing his co-worker/best friend behind his back. Then one day while picking up a prescription for his anxiety attacks, he runs into Fox (Jolie) who informs him that she not only knew his father, but that he was the best assassin in the world. "And the man who killed him is standing right behind you." She mutters with chilly calm, her eyes hardening.
The typical shoot out occurs in the grocery store, Fox herself sporting a crafty flexible device that, while holding a regular gun as well as a human hand, allows the user to see and shoot around corners. Those that know me know my love for gadgetry and weaponry in nearly all and any forms - so let me tell you that I had slack jaw and a puddle of drool in my popcorn all through the movie just from the weapons alone. The way they were used, the old and new tricks; the guns and untraceable bullets, the knives and brass knuckles - all of it would appease even the most novice of weapon lovers.
Weapons or no weapons, not everyone expects to leave a day of mundane repetitive ness and become a secret assassin in a league of assassins. "Kill one, save a thousand." They are "the web of assassins, the warriors of fate." Or so Morgan Freeman tells Wesley during his training. The cast is filled with enough characters to hold the attention, and in a diverse way. Each member of ' The Fraternity' aptly has their own name according to their expertise. Though it is slightly cliché (but in a good way), it is not clarified as to whether they received them by Sloan (leader of The Fraternity) or they were simply code names for communication purposes.
The first five minutes sets you into the tone of not only the movie, but it's characters. You become enamored with Wesley and sympathize with the struggles of his character all through the film. Prone to panic attacks, he is thus confused and terrified when Sloan calmly asks him to shoot the wings off a few flies hovering over a waste basket. Wesly's panic attacks, it is later explained, are not due to the inability to cope with the stress of his surroundings, but rather a rare condition that makes him the prime candidate for becoming an assassin as well as a follower in his father's footsteps.
Wesley is amazing as a lead character despite starting out as ordinary, suppressed, miserable and weak natured. Time and again he is asked, "Why are you here?!" by Fox (usually before The Repairman ties him to a chair and proceeds to beat Wesley to a bloody pulp every morning). Eventually Fox looses her calm and proceeds to quite literally beat the answer out of Wesley, who finally admits "I don't know who I am." Thus begins the story of a young man learning of his father after his demise, and attempting to be just as god as (if not better) than his father had been.
Sitting here it is hard for me not to gush and list all the many, many, many, MANY brilliant features and parts of the movies. Most of you know that I tell enough to capture the attention, but leave enough to tease and keep the mystery. What I can tell you is that those who adored the matrix will absolutely fall in love with the constant action sequences, and the new way of using the old ones. The characters are all rich and full of life, the feel of them coming across more in their silences at times, than ever could have been expressed with a thousand words. The script is amazing. The back story is simple, yet twisted and shocking. The blood and gore is nowhere near what it was in the movie HITMAN, but still leaves you with that half an hour long-post movie awestruck bubble of shock where words are meaningless.
In summary, my friends...... the movie leaves you awestruck, star struck, breathless, and yet gasping for more.
To those of you who risk reading my spoilers, trust my reviews, and have a love of movies so vast that you can love a totally hideous B-Movie for the sake of a single character's acting job........ I hereby christen this movie as the best action packed thrill ride since the Matrix Trilogies. Enjoy.
Oh... and look forward to my nex movie review..... HELL BOY 2.
*Review written by C. S. Drake and has not been copied or modified from any other reviews. All quotes are taken from the movie or actors and are credited accordingly.*
