Off the Shelf…’Wanted’

Last night I watched Wanted and I forgot how much fun that movie was.  Talk about a kick-ass movie that defies physics. This beyond cool movie was a “knock your socks off” actioner and if you blinked even once during the last 15 minutes then you probably missed a lot. Sure it was totally unbelievable but I’d equate it to Equilibrium with its imaginative and borderline genius gun fight sequences. A gun that can shoot around corners…wow, using a dead guy to ‘bullet proof vest’…cool idea (although a little bit of an Arnold rip-off). This movie was brainless fun but at the same time, simply flat-out exciting!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDvP6OpRVu4

It was an impressive mix of old and new actors who delivered very smoothly serious performances while having just a few smiles in their delivery. A bit of a newcomer to the seasoned cast, I was amazed at how James McAvoy was able to completely hide his thick accent after seeing him in The Last King of Scotland and Atonement. I thought he was a gifted actor in those films and even though this movie didn’t seem like a challenging role, he was convincing none-the-less.  His portrayal of lowly cubicle worker who basically becomes “Neo” was like watching Office Space’s Michael Bolton turn into Jason Bourne. Either way, since most of us have jobs that suck, there was enough relateablilty to get you behind Wesley as he progressed.

One thing I can’t figure out, although I have some idea, is why some of the characters wore the same exact outfit throughout the whole movie.  His best friend Barry and people at his office had very similar outfits. Over the course of the movie, nearly 6 weeks had passed since Wesley started training and still The Repairman and The Butcher wore the same damn outfit. I guess that since this movie is an adaptation of a graphic novel, just like in the comic everyone wears the same outfit.

I don’t think anyone watching this would walk away from the opportunity Wesley got had they been given the same option. Although joining a league of legendary hitmen is just as unlikey as the action depicted in the film, I bet people would pay to be able to quit their jobs as cool and slick as Welsey quit his. That said, it’s still neat to dream huh? Especially about a day when characters like Fox and Sloan to the rescue (which is surprisingly like The Matrix actually).

This film isn’t the greatest action movie ever or do I label it a “must own”, but I think it should be considered industry standard for new age action. More inventive than Leon, bigger explosions than The Rock, Wanted (though wildly outrageous) did not disappoint and the director Timur Bekmambetov could teach Michael Bay and Luc Besson a few things about over-the-top action. Lastly, I heard whispers that they were planning a sequel…I don’t know how but then again I said that about Ocean’s 11, and Pitch Black and sure enough Hollywood came up with some crap that passed as a sequel. Let’s hope if this turns out to be true its odds are better.

G-S-T Ruling – 3.5/5

G-S-T Seal of Approval – GRANTED