Wesley Gibson’s (James McAvoy) meager existence as a put upon clerk in a cubicle has come to an end. Swooping in on him in a convenience store as if she were the female Morpheus, the sexy and almost superhuman assassin Fox (Angelina Jolie) to open his eyes to a world he only thinks he sees. You see, Wesley is the son of one of the world’s most gifted assassins, and if he’s up for a little hardship and training he could be one, too.

James McAvoy and Angelina Jolie get close in Universal Pictures' Wanted

At least, that’s what the mysterious Sloan (Morgan Freeman) thinks, and if he can endure Fox’s brutal crash-course in what it takes to make a talented killer then he could be out there on the front lines battling the forces of evil just like his father used to. Even better, he might be able to kill the man responsible for silencing him before Wesley could even make his acquaintance, his whole life of believing he was abandoned as a child a tragic lie he’s only now thanks to his new friends able to come to grips with.

But are they really his friends? Was his father assassinated by a rival? Are the orders Sloan is giving out really divined by fate? Has he and the others been twisted by power into something way beyond good and evil? Or is all this hysteria in his head, the only thing worth worrying about being to embrace his destiny and become a righteous figure of violence doling out bloody justice? These and questions and more are the ones Wesley must answer, the fate of all humanity maybe resting on what it is he’s able to discover.

I had the exact same problems with Wanted as I did with both of director Timur Bekmambetov’s Russian fantasy-adventures Night Watch and Day Watch. Visually, this is one of the most inventive and enthralling pictures I’ve seen all, the action scenes as uniquely and inventively staged as any I could have possibly imagined. Like his previous mythic modern day vampire and witchcraft horrific melodramas this offers sights and sounds that constantly amaze, and as purely visceral eye candy this is one extravaganza pretty much beyond compare.

Unfortunately, also like those previous epics this one is haphazardly written, ill-logically plotted and tends to repeat its best bits a few times too many. Based on Mark Millar and J.G. Jones graphic novels, the screenplay (apparently written by committee), after a promising initial third the whole things collapses into idiotic pabulum that barely makes coherent sense. Worse, I don’t think it is even trying to, Bekmambetov going out of his way to showcase his flashy skills behind the camera instead of attempting to flesh out the human tale at the heart of it all which would have given all this razzle-dazzle joi de vive some relevance.

All of which makes Wanted a highly mixed bag almost impossible to recommend. Don’t get me wrong, I liked great big sloppy wet chunks of it (especially a completely whacked-out car chase where the director once again indulges in his fetish for red sports cars defying all kinds of gravity), it’s the whole I have a problem with. Who cares how impressive the technical aspects are when the human side of the coin is so blatantly impersonal, and while I love the fact the film isn’t afraid to go in new and different directions (one third act moment, in particular, is quiet the surprise) that doesn’t mean much if the resulting bloodshed has zero emotional impact. 

So what’s the final word? I don’t think there is one. The movie certainly offers enough interesting tidbits and performances (especially by the increasingly impressive McAvoy) to make it worth a cursory glance or two, I just don’t think it offers enough to warrant dropping the dough for a full price ticket. Maybe a matinee, but even then I think people will end up finding themselves feeling a wee bit cheated, Wanted dynamic enough to fire a quick bullet but too unfocused and jittery to actually hit the target.

Film Rating: êê1/2  (out of 4)

Additional Links

-  Wanted Theatrical Trailer