Stylistic, violent, innovative, startling, unexpected and outrageous, Timur Bekmambetov’s Wanted has his name written all over it. From its recognizable editing flair to its over-the-top, farfetched action sequences, his film is designed to show audiences exactly what they want to see. And whether or not they anticipate these crowd-pleasing moments, they most certainly don’t disappoint. Some may call it nonsense, but Wanted demonstrates just about every awe-inspiring technique that can be utilized to satiate the ever-hungry action-adventure fan.

1000 years ago, a secret organization of elite warriors banded together, after recognizing an unparalleled skill. Being able to control abnormally high amounts of adrenaline, these gifted humans can move faster, think quicker, and bend the limitations of physics – and so they became assassins. Dubbing themselves The Fraternity, the small organization let fate decide who their targets shall be, and set out to rid the world of the worst it has to offer.

It is the present, and Wesley Gibson (James McAvoy) is an apathetic jellyfish – a wimp who uncaringly allows others to trample on his life; his boss obnoxiously reprimands him; his best friend is cheating with his girlfriend. Analyzing his pointless existence, he sinks deeper into depression and prescription drugs, simply hoping to drudge through each day as an extant human being. During a routine trip to the pharmacy, Wesley suddenly finds himself the target of a covert assassin, and in the protection of a mysterious tattooed woman named Fox (Angelina Jolie).

Wesley discovers that his father was one of the most powerful members of The Fraternity, and that he possesses the same skills as the other superior assassins. Finally realizing his purpose in life, Wesley trains with Fox, Gunsmith, Butcher, Repairman, and the leader of The Fraternity, Sloan (Morgan Freeman), in order to fulfill his destiny by killing Cross (Thomas Kretschmann), the man who murdered his father.

Wanted brilliantly weaves its story with highly stylized editing (a trademark of revolutionary director Timur Bekmambetov) that involves gratuitous amounts of slow-motion, sped-up shots, scenes in reverse, bullet-cams, and plenty of CG angles, as the camera zips around the unfriendly locales. The visual effects are all spectacular, featuring impressive stunts, car chases, leaping from rooftops, train wrecks and futuristic weaponry. The action sequences are often undeniably extravagant, but Timur is careful to make each one as thrilling and unpredictable as possible. From flipping cars over one another on a highway, or arcing the path of bullets, there is a certain believability, or at least acceptance, of impossible actions within the superhuman world crafted from the graphic novel source material.

Jolie takes on a similar role to Schwarzenegger’s protective T-800 from Terminator 2, and incites mass destruction with casual ease. Gunsmith (Common) teaches Wesley about anything that fires bullets, The Butcher shows him how to wield a knife, and The Repairman beats him to a bloody pulp. The training sequences yield an impressive sorting of memorable specialists which makes for stunning battle sequences and sanguinary spectacles. It is the violence that really stands out in Wanted, and the fevered visionary tactics by Bekmambetov showcase the most hilariously egregious moments of bloodshed. Portions of the film are incredibly bizarre, and others are white-knuckle thrilling. But with a complex and twisting plot that transcends typical brainless actioners, Wanted delivers nonstop surprises and ceaseless revelations – all involving genuine intensity, strong violence, harsh language, and every other key ingredient necessary for a nearly indefectible action film.

- The Massie Twins

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