Shoot ‘Em Up: Review for “Wanted”

Guns are everywhere. It’s another sad truth. We have six year olds playing Grand Theft Auto, hijacking cars, and shooting cops every weekend for fun. We have news stories about people taking their AK-47 to their school rooftop and, in a vulgar sense, going postal. But in a society where violence is omnipresent, you have to get over it.

One of the most recent in a long line of violent but fun action films is Wanted, loosely based on the comic book series. James McAvoy plays a depressed white collar worker who hates his office job, has a best friend who is sleeping with his girlfriend, and doesn’t know what his purpose in life is.

Then comes a mysterious and sexy Angelina Jolie who recruits him to a Fraternity. A Fraternity of Assassins run by Morgan Freeman. This is a place where he learns how to curve a bullet, how to fight, and how to make his girlfriend jealous. At this fraternity, they choose who to “assassinate” by this long tapestry which weaves in the names of people by the way of binary numbers.

In order to enjoy this film, you need to separate yourself as far as possible from reality. The film is an adrenaline packed thrill ride that doesn’t really make sense but is sure fun to watch. The film is surprisingly brutal in some parts, particularly when training McAvoy’s character. The fight scenes are extremely well choreographed and the special effects are amazing. This is one heck of a thrill ride.

 

Grade: B+