rilind Mon Aug 10, 2009 4:55 am
wanted, based on the graphic novel by Mark Millar and J.G. Jones, follows twentysomething Wesley Gibson (James McAvoy, doing a convincing job in hiding his Scottish accent) -- an office drone who one day discovers that he is actually the son of the world's greatest assassin. Before this revelation, Wes suffers panic attacks brought on by his overbearing boss at his soul-sucking accounting job and the blatant affair carried on between his girlfriend and best friend.
Wesley is pulled -- literally and violently -- out of his ho-hum everyday life by Fox (Angelina Jolie), an alluring mystery woman who tells him about his special heritage and then proceeds to save him from Cross (Thomas Kretschmann). After an absurd but exhilarating car chase-shootout sequence, Fox reveals to Wesley that he must take his father's place in The Fraternity, an ancient league of assassins led by Sloan (Morgan Freeman). The Fraternity metes out justice as determined by the Loom of Destiny (an over-explained plot device built around murderous weavers -- yeah, that's right).
Wes then undergoes an excruciating training regimen (including beatings, guns and knives) until he accepts the Fraternity's motto: Kill one, save a thousand. He must then carry out a few hits in order to prove his mettle before he is sent after Cross, whom we learn is a rogue member of the Fraternity out to kill his former comrades one by one. Wes gradually learns to enjoy and embrace his newfound vocation, finally feeling empowered after a lifetime of being a nobody. But soon, he learns that some of his colleagues aren't as righteous as he first believed.
Wanted is directed with gusto by Timur Bekmambetov, who employs many of the same visual and narrative elements seen in his Night Watch films. His hyperkinetic style uses almost every trick in the book, strongly recalling not only his own Night Watch films -- indeed, Wanted could be the Americanized third entry in that hit Russian series -- but also The Matrix and Fight Club.
Wanted is a better movie than either of the Night Watch films, although it does share some of the same flaws (e.g., an overabundance of convoluted exposition relating the contrived backstory of the movie's secret society). The film is breathlessly paced, gratuitously violent and over-the-top in almost every conceivable way. Cars crash through speeding trains, bullets curve in mid-air, a man smashes through a skyscraper window and then sails across the sky to kill his opponents.
Thankfully, a blackly comic mean streak runs throughout the film that helps acknowledge the absurdity of it all without ever diluting the fun of watching bullets, cars and people do the impossible. However, life is so cheap in Wanted that it's impossible not to be revolted by how many innocent civilians make up the film's body count (particularly during the climactic train sequence).
McAvoy, Jolie and Freeman find the humor and edge in their respective characters, while Bekmambetov's take on the material offers enough hell's bells, balls-to the-walls action to make Wanted this summer's most subversive treat. If you want to see a fun, fast-paced movie where the action is cool and the leading lady is hot then this is for you.
http://rapidshare.com/files/179895349/WONER.part1.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/179895618/WONER.part2.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/179897853/WONER.part3.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/179891687/WONER.part4.rar
