Fortunes change very quickly in Hollywood, and many observers were actually surprised by Wanted, the 2008 action film that brought the once undisputed star Angelina Jolie her first major success after three years. However, an even greater surprise related to this film was the generally favourable reviews, which are hard to imagine based on the reputation of Kazakh director Timur Bekmambetov, who had gained worldwide fame with Night Watch and Day Watch, Russian blockbusters that left critics, especially those outside the borders of the former USSR, rather unenthusiastic.
The plot of Wanted is based on the graphic novel by Mark Millar—a dark, nihilistic work that describes a dystopian world where superheroes have been replaced by ruthless assassins. The protagonist of this film, at least at the beginning, can hardly be called "ruthless." In fact, Wesley Gibson (played by James McAvoy) lives a life very similar to that of most ordinary people—a poorly paid, boring, and frustrating job where he endures harassment from a fat boss, and a small flat he shares with his girlfriend, who cheats on him with his best friend. To make matters worse, Wesley suffers from health problems in the form of depression and sudden panic attacks, so most of his income goes towards medication.
However, everything changes when Gibson meets a mysterious woman named Fox (played by Angelina Jolie) at a pharmacy, who claims that his father was assassinated and that he is next in line. Initially, Gibson does not believe her but changes his mind when Fox confronts an assassin named Cross (played by Thomas Kretschmann). This leads to a frantic car chase after which Gibson ends up at the headquarters of The Fraternity—a secret society of weavers that maintains stability in the world through assassination. Its leader Sloan (played by Morgan Freeman) explains to the young man that his father was a top assassin in the service of The Fraternity and was killed by Cross, an assassin who went rogue. Young Wesley has inherited his father's killing abilities and is the only one who can stop Cross. Reluctantly, Gibson agrees and begins a gruelling training process to become a top assassin.
Bekmambetov managed to turn the works of acclaimed Russian fantasy author Sergey Lukyanenko into MTV-style visual excess in Night Watch and Day Watch. When it came time for his big Hollywood debut—excluding the cult gladiator film Arena, which legendary Roger Corman produced in 2001 at Mosfilm studios—it turned out that Universal producers were more capable of keeping the Kazakh director under control and channelling his creativity in a more constructive direction. Moreover, comic books and graphic novels are generally a more suitable basis for action films than traditional literature.
However, the most important factor was a fairly good script that considered that even seemingly mindless action films can be quality if their characters are crafted in such a way that audiences can connect with them. In the case of poor Gibson, forced to endure various humiliations and frustrations, this wasn’t too difficult. An even more correct decision was made by producers to cast James McAvoy for this role—a young Scottish actor who is hard to imagine as an action hero.
Although he is forced to spend a large part of the film on plot and characters, Bekmambetov also gets the chance for Matrix-like camera orgies and imaginative scenes of violence that make full use of the stricter “R” censorship rating. Sometimes this goes overboard—like in the car chase scene through Chicago—but sometimes the confrontations can be truly impressive. Perhaps the best example is a scene where Gibson uses methods for eliminating villains in the final confrontation that could provoke protests from animal rights groups.
The rest of the cast is generally not as impressive as McAvoy. Angelina Jolie—who many believed should be the film's main asset—comes across as cold and disinterested, with her character almost unnecessary. Morgan Freeman, who makes any film more dignified with his presence, manages to make some of the silliest concepts here—like assassination orders being akin to folds in fabric—believable. However, viewers will most remember him using some “juicy” expressions in this film, just as they will remember Jolie’s display of her bare backside. Fans of Bekmambetov's work will also notice Konstantin Khabensky, protagonist of both Watch films, playing one of Gibson's trainers.
Wanted, with its combination of comic book action and somewhat realistic characterisation, more than satisfies criteria for casual summer entertainment.
RATING: 6/10 (++)
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