Wanted

Starring: James McAvoy, Morgan Freeman, and Angelina Jolie
Directed by: Timur Bekmambetov

The film opens with a man visiting a ballistic expert with hopes of trying to trace the enemy's whereabouts by knowing the origin of the bullet. Out of nowhere, snipers began shooting through the room, killing the ballistic expert. The man then proceeds to run along the hallway and (inhumanly) jumps off the window and into the other building while killing the snipers in mid-air! Then the man picks up the phone, speaking to someone he simply refers to as Cross. Cross tells the man that the snipers were merely decoys before firing a bullet through the man's head! The story then picks up with the protagonist, Wesley Gibson. One night, he meets a mysterious lady who claims that she knew Wesley's father, that he was murdered the day before on a rooftop, and that the man who murdered him, Cross, is right at his behind his back! What followed is a car chase that eventually led to Wesley meeting The Fraternity, a secret organization of assassins. He learns that he has inherited his father's abilities-- and given the training, the chance to avenge his murdered father.

I must say that this movie actually surprised me! I remember when Pilep and Oninz told me that we should watch Wanted, I said that I think it will be corny with bullets changing directions and such. When I saw the trailer for it, I was actually turned off by the prospect of bullets "curving" from their direction. Akala ko talaga corny. And with Angelina Jolie in the cast, I was like: "Yuck, Tomb Raider with corny twisting bullets!!!"

I actually ate my words!

Now, I'm thankful that I actually gave it a chance and watched it!

The movie accomplished what it was trying to do. It was a pop corn movie as a whole, but in a way, had a lot of substance. The premise is great: an ordinary 9 to 5 employee who sucks in life learning that he has hidden capabilities, hence turning into a killing machine with the right training!

Plus, the concept of The Fraternity was amazing. Imagine a group of lethal killers who accepts target from a LOOM MACHINE (which they call 'The Loom of Fate'). The Loom of Fate was said to give off binary codes, that when decoded, will reveal who the next target of the organization should be. These targets are said to be dangerous and must be eliminated in order to avoid a more destructive future. 'Kill one man, and maybe, save a thousand', according to The Fraternity.

The cast was amazing. James McAvoy filled that 'zero to hero' role perfectly. He was the nerd guy turned killing machine-- and he was actually entertaining to watch. He was never irritating like Shiela LeBeouf (Indy 4, Transformers), a guy who never fails to irritate the shit out of me every time I watch him! Angelina Jolie was also great as the assassin/mentor, Fox. Sex and killer appeal just mixed right, I love it! And nothing much to say about Morgan Freeman, an actor I've long admired. He always gives off great performances whatever movie he's in.

The presentation was also superb. It was over the top, yes, but it accomplished what the director is trying to do. As I've said, when I saw the trailer, I thought the concept of the "curving bullets" were corny-- it was actually pretty good. I was actually enjoying those scenes with all those bullet curves (and don't miss that bullet curve Jolie does near the end of the film... that one is my favorite scene aside from the rooftop scene at the beginning).

All in all, this movie is a must see. The trailer does not do this movie justice. An over the top popcorn movie with great special effects and an interesting plot. Full of attitude and adrenaline, packed with stylized scenes. I love it! ;p Score: 9/10