Movie Review:
Wanted
R / 1 hr., 50 min. / 2008
Given the stories we hear of ordinary people who “were such nice neighbors” suddenly snapping and becoming raving killers, I’m not sure Wanted is the best entertainment to thrust upon American culture. In this film based on the comic books by Mark Miller and J.G. Jones, insignificant office marshmallow Wesley Gibson (James McAvoy) goes about his perfectly spineless day when he suddenly learns that his father, whom he has not seen since he was seven days old, was not only the world’s greatest assassin, but has also been shot and killed by another assassin who now has Gibson in his cross-hairs as well.
On the run for his life with the help of a mysterious woman (Angelina Jolie), Gibson is invited to join the organization of assassins that his father was, until recently, a leading member of: The Fraternity. This gathering of professional killers was founded a thousand years ago by a group of weavers who took it upon themselves to rid the world of those evil elements that were responsible for corruption, crime, and chaos. Unfortunately, one of its contemporary members has gone rogue and is knocking off Fraternity personnel one by one.
Fraternity leader Sloan (Morgan Freeman) impresses upon Gibson the importance of avenging his father’s death, and Gibson embarks on a training regime to learn the art of assassination. This includes getting his weak mind getting beat out of him, learning about knife-fighting via direct assault, and mastering the art of bending the trajectory of bullets by simply thinking about it. And then he has to practice a few assassinations on seemingly innocuous targets. Finally the big day arrives and Gibson the Fraternity graduate heads off to blast the snot out of the renegade member who has been stalking him. Let that be a lesson to you, the next time you pick on the insignificant marshmallow in your workplace.
Well, frankly, if there was ever a movie that had no more purpose than to satiate the bloodthirsty fans of gratuitous and explicit violence, Wanted is it – though anything by Quentin Tarantino comes in a close second. There is no ennobling tale among the gore, like Gladiator. There is no attempt at political and social discussion or pro-humanist anti-theist philosophy, like Watchmen. There is simply violence. Fist fights and bloody noses, knife wounds, uprooted teeth, the spray of cranial fluids, and bullets exiting foreheads in slow motion are among the charming images of what amounts to a total waste of time.
I will agree with my wife and say that were it not for the disgusting level of violence in the film, the story itself would be somewhat entertaining. Written for the screen by Michael Brandt, Derek Haas, and Chris Morgan, and directed with rock star sensibilities by Timur Bekmambetov, the adventure that Gibson finds himself in is decently intriguing. Khazakstani director Bekmambetov plays this action movie for all the stylization and visual wit he can muster, which is quite a lot.
I think what I find most interesting about the film is my own reaction to its cinematic style. While I am not a fan of film techniques like ramping, bullet time, and ultra-cool leather-clad marksmen with groovy weapons, I found this film’s take on the “grunge” cinema to be actually rather interesting. Maybe it has something to do with that very American style being run through a Khazak’s cultural interpretation and coming out as something different in some subtle way. As I know I will not be able to put my finger on it, I won’t babble on in an attempt to sound intelligent. In short, while other “grunge”-style films have left me wishing in the worst way that they would end quickly, Wanted did not induce such repulsion in me.
James McAvoy (Atonement) is fitting as Gibson, a young man who has already surrendered any interest in conquering life. No attempt is made to make him stunningly sexy as he becomes an assassin: He continues to look like an ordinary guy. And he has a beautiful dry tone for the lifeless narrations that open the film.
Supporting McAvoy are veterans Morgan Freeman (Batman Begins) and Angelina Jolie (Mr. and Mrs. Smith), who are pretty much typecast following years of playing the rich-voiced black mentor and the svelte sex symbol, respectively. These two have played these roles so often I doubt there was any challenge to it. Nor did I sense they went hunting for any new challenge either; their performances seemed almost phoned in with a yawn.
While there is not much to say about the film’s production design, I did like the room in which a giant loom has been weaving fabric for a thousand years. Its purpose I will not divulge, but in terms of the art direction, this set struck me as the one memorable location in the film.
Oh, and I suppose I should mention the reason I bothered renting an R-rated action film at all, which is not my usual style. The music was by Danny Elfman, which is definitely my usual style. For the most part, this is Elfman phoning in his work as well, but he does treat his fans to his voice again as he writes and sings the featured song in the end credits. Not bad work, but I’m not desperately adding the soundtrack to my wish list.
Ultimately, I’d say skip it. The story is pointless, and the violence and gore really would not be healthy images to be stuffing into your brain. There really is no good reason to spend two hours watching this one, as indeed I wish I hadn’t. Just being brutally honest.
My Score: 6
