Untitled Document
As action movies become more prevalent — and
when are they more common than in the summer? — film directors find
themselves with the unenviable task of topping the latest screen mayhem
that made audiences gasp. Truth be told, they haven’t been successful
in quite some time; most onscreen action has been either repetitious or
incomprehensible. Still, you have to give director Timur Bekmambetov props
for trying in Wanted, a film as preposterous as it is audacious. Adapted from the comic book by Mark Millar and J.G.
Jones, this high-energy tale focuses on Wesley Gibson (James McAvoy), an
office nobody who gets no respect at work, has a cheating girlfriend, and
suffers from anxiety attacks. His life is turned upside down when he is
kidnapped one evening by Fox (Angelina Jolie), a member of the Fraternity,
a centuries-old organization of assassins bent on maintaining order. It
seems that Wesley’s father, whom he never knew, was a member of this
secret club. He’s just been killed, and it’s up to his
discarded son to avenge him. What our confused hero doesn’t realize
is that he possesses latent warrior abilities and that once he accepts them
and is trained properly he’ll be one of the most lethal killers in
the world. Sloan (Morgan Freeman) is on hand to guide him, and Fox hangs
around to kick him in the butt whenever he needs tough love. The training scenes, which are pretty standard, are
made irritating by Gibson’s whining and McAvoy’s unconvincing
turn. The actor’s boyish looks prevent him from being taken seriously
in this role, an obstacle the film never overcomes. Jolie is great,
enjoying the physicality of the role, and though I wished the movie focused
solely on her, Fox is a one-note character. The film kicks into high gear
once the mismatched duo gets after the bad guys, and you can’t help
but be knocked out by the action sequences, especially an extended chase
involving a train. Still, that does not outweigh the silliness of bullets
that change trajectory in midair or cars that defy the laws of physics. Wanted ends up being a subpar Matrix knockoff with far
more gore and replete with offensive female stereotypes — namely,
what passes for summer fun these day.
This article appears in Jun 19-25, 2008.
