Release Date:
06/27/2008
Directed by: Timur Bekmambetov
The Skinny: Wesley Gibson (James McAvoy) is an all-around loser: awful job, low self-esteem, a "best friend" who's screwing his girlfriend. But that all changes when Wes learns that his father was a highly trained assassin who passed his skills down genetically, and it's time for Wes to join his old man's comrades in a shady organization known as The Fraternity.
The Good: We're sick of watching our once-kick-ass action heroes getting their balls snipped off with PG-13 scissors (looking at you, John McClane), so Wanted's unabashed, over-the-top violence is refreshing. It's also funny, stylish, and totally entertaining. People will complain that it's too violent and unrealistic, but they are completely missing the point.
The Bad: The mythology behind The Fraternity is needlessly convoluted, involving mystic looms (yes, mystic looms), secret codes, and random monks. Why can't they just be killers for hire, and that's that?
Did We Hear That Right? We can't say we've ever heard Morgan Freeman shout, "Shoot this motherfucker!" Nice, Morgan. No reason why Sam Jackson has to own the monopoly.
Theater, DVD, or TNT in Five Years? Go see it, definitely.
The Skinny: Wesley Gibson (James McAvoy) is an all-around loser: awful job, low self-esteem, a "best friend" who's screwing his girlfriend. But that all changes when Wes learns that his father was a highly trained assassin who passed his skills down genetically, and it's time for Wes to join his old man's comrades in a shady organization known as The Fraternity.
The Good: We're sick of watching our once-kick-ass action heroes getting their balls snipped off with PG-13 scissors (looking at you, John McClane), so Wanted's unabashed, over-the-top violence is refreshing. It's also funny, stylish, and totally entertaining. People will complain that it's too violent and unrealistic, but they are completely missing the point.
The Bad: The mythology behind The Fraternity is needlessly convoluted, involving mystic looms (yes, mystic looms), secret codes, and random monks. Why can't they just be killers for hire, and that's that?
Did We Hear That Right? We can't say we've ever heard Morgan Freeman shout, "Shoot this motherfucker!" Nice, Morgan. No reason why Sam Jackson has to own the monopoly.
Theater, DVD, or TNT in Five Years? Go see it, definitely.