Wanted (2008)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Timur Bekmambetov

Writers (WGA):

Michael Brandt (screenplay) &
Derek Haas (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

27 June 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Thriller

Tagline:

Choose your destiny.

Plot:

A frustrated office worker learns that he is the son of a professional assassin, and that he shares his father's superhuman killing abilities.

Plot Keywords:

Fraternity | Assassin | Killer | Office Worker | Boss

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 1 win & 11 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Sat. July 11	10:00 PM	MAX
Sun. July 12	1:30 AM	MAX

Cast

James McAvoy	...	Wesley Gibson
Morgan Freeman	...	Sloan
Angelina Jolie	...	Fox
Terence Stamp	...	Pekwarsky
Thomas Kretschmann	...	Cross
Common	...	Gunsmith
Kristen Hager	...	Cathy
Marc Warren	...	The Repairman
David O'Hara	...	Mr. X (as David Patrick O'Hara)
Konstantin Khabenskiy	...	The Exterminator (as Konstantin Khabensky)
Dato Bakhtadze	...	The Butcher
Chris Pratt	...	Barry
Lorna Scott	...	Janice
Sophiya Haque	...	Puja
Brian Caspe	...	The Pharmacist

MPAA:

Rated R for strong bloody violence throughout, pervasive language and some sexuality.

Runtime:

110 min

Country:

USA | Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS | SDDS

Certification:

South Korea:18 | Ireland:16 | UK:18 | Finland:K-15 | Singapore:NC-16 | Hong Kong:IIB | Philippines:R-13 (MTRCB) | Malaysia:18SG | USA:R (certificate #44457) | Canada:13+ (Québec) | South Africa:16 | Netherlands:16 | Canada:18A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | France:U (with warning) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Australia:MA | Portugal:M/16 | New Zealand:R16 | Brazil:18 | Germany:18 | Argentina:16 | Japan:R-15 | Sweden:15 | Spain:18 | Ireland:18 (DVD rating) | Singapore:M18 (DVD rating) | Peru:18 | Denmark:15 | Austria:16 | India:A | Iceland:16

Filming Locations:

Barrandov Studios, Prague, Czech Republic

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

One of Cross' victims is identified by the Gunsmith as "Rictus". The main antagonist in the comic book is Mister Rictus.

Goofs:

Continuity: During the chase sequence with the Mustang and the C4 Corvette, a camera shot briefly shows Fox's hand down-shifting from above. It shows the shift lever from the Dodge Viper used earlier in the movie.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Wesley: [voice-over] It's my anorexic boss' birthday. This means there's a certain amount of inter-office pressure to stand around the conference table, eating crappy food and pretending to worship her. Acting for five minutes like Janice doesn't make all our lives miserable is the hardest work I'll do all day. My job title is account manager. I used to be called an account service representative, but a consultant told us we have to manage our clients, and to not service them. I have a girlfriend who I neither manage or service. That's my best friend Barry fucking her on an Ikea kitchen table I picked up for a really good price. I'm finding it hard to care about anything these days. In fact, the only thing I do care about is the fact that I can't care about anything. Seriously, it worries me. My name is Wesley Gibson. My dad walked out on my mom when I was seven days old. Sometimes I wonder if he ever looked into my baby blue eyes and asked himself "did I just father the most insignificant asshole of the twenty-first century"?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Troldspejlet: (#40.1)" (2008)

Soundtrack:

The Little Things

Ridiculous...and good.

http://eattheblinds.blogspot.com

I detested the trailers and I'm not a fan of gene-pool lottery winner Angelina Jolie, so one movie I never thought I'd sit down to watch was Timur Bekmambetov's action orgy Wanted. Problem was, I kept coming across reviews that wrote about this film being a pleasant surprise. Considering all I had to lose was an hour and a half, I thought I'd give it a shot. Surprise, surprise...Wanted actually is a pleasant surprise.

This surprise didn't come easy and it most definitely didn't come early. The first fifteen minutes or so was nothing less than a flip imitation of Fight Club, so lame that my finger hovered over the "stop" button on my computer. But patience prevailed and once Wesley Gibson's (James McAvoy) fate was altered, there truly was no turning back. When Wanted shifts into second gear, it does so with a resounding thump of unbridled torque. Once Wanted screams aloud that its a thrill ride, it does something few action films ever have the smarts to do - it winks at the audience.

This wink let's us know this isn't the real world, but that this is a movie...and a very silly movie at that. The remainder of Wanted is crammed full of implausibly over-the-top, yet very slick and expertly choreographed action sequences, each one upping the ante of ridiculousness. Wanted reminds us being silly and ridiculous is not the exclusive realm of the Farrelly Brothers, and not since John Woo made an art form out of corny, over-the-top action films has there been something with so much adrenaline and laugh-out-loud silliness as Wanted.

Within this realm of excessive camp, Angelina Jolie fits as snug as silk stockings (not that I would actually know). The more serious she plays her character Fox (even the name is a groan inducing pun), the more you can't hate her freakishly abnormal "good" looks and constant mugging for the camera. If she does take herself this seriously in real life, then she must be excruciating company, but if she has the sense of humor to understand her role here, then props to her. Her cheesy performance is destined to be parodied, yet few parodies will ever come close to besting her own efforts. She delivers every line of dialogue as if it were her last and every cat-like motion she slinks across the screen with is deliberately bon3r baiting.

Beyond Jolie, the cast in Wanted is first rate. McAvoy does the fish-out-of-water routine with ease and Morgan Freeman is, well...Morgan Freeman. The pleasant bonus appearance is Terence Stamp who is, in my mind, one of the most underused actors around. I can't believe I'm saying it, but I had a laugh out loud riot watching Wanted. Never having met John Woo or Timur Bekmambetov, I can't say for sure if they take this junk seriously, but if taking the pi$$ out of a tired genre is their thing, then they're experts at this craft. If, on the other hand, they're not in on the joke...well, at least they're getting rich getting laughed at.