Wanted (18) Wanted follows the almost standard Matrix style action movie plot of an office loser, cramped in a dingy grey cubicle who suddenly discovers that he has, deep within him, ultra-efficient assassin skills which he can use for the good of the world.
Wes, played by James McAvoy, is the loser. Angelina Jolie is the sexy female assassin and love interest who saves his life in a corner shop and takes him back to the secret lair for training and Morgan Freeman is their vicious, but fair boss.
In a hail of bullets, blood, computer generated special effects and dead bad guys, McAvoy soon learns he has the power to, among other things, bend bullets around corners.
Despite being a slick, fast-paced comic book action flick featuring some top Hollywood names, Wanted is just about watchable.
Even for such a macho action film, there is far too much shooting and car chasing and not enough story, suspense or sympathy with the smug, pointless characters.
It seems strange that James McAvoy, after choosing well with The Last King of Scotland and Atonement, should buff himself up in a gym for six months to play such a mindless action role, and pretty much the same can be said for Angelina Jolie.
Both were possibly hoping that the first English-language film from director Timur Bekmambetov would match up to his critically acclaimed Russian films Night Watch (2004) and Day Watch (2006) but, unfortunately for everyone, it doesn’t.
RATING: **
Jimmy Edge
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