Wanted

Rating : 5/10
Running Time : 110 Minutes
Release Date : 29th August 2008 (India)
Director : Timur Bekmambetov ; Writer : Michael Brandt, Derek Haas
Starring : James McAvoy, Angelina Jolie, Morgan Freeman

This is a movie made in the noble ‘Hero’ tradition of film-making, as practiced by most Hindi and several Hollywood films (All Bond, super-hero films). The Hero simply cannot die, how much ever you beat him, pump bullets into him etc. If you’re able to overlook this little foible and the lack of a plausible plot then a high adrenalin cocktail of spectacular stunts, special effects and her royal poutiness, Angelina Jolie, await you.

Normal, wimpy guy with boring cubicle existence, replete with cheating girlfriend and irritating boss, suddenly has life move into another gear as the Fraternity, a secret society of assassins, kind of ‘recruits’ him. Most of the film revolves around his brutal training and his focus on killing the guy who’s killed his father…thus following the second noble tradition of hindi film-making, the ‘revenge’ plot. Twist follows turn, zig follows zag, as bullets fly, collide and puncture human bodies in graphic slow motion for most of the movie. The stunts and special effects are really, really good here – like Matrix, I can foresee a lot of rip-offs of the different effects they used.


However, the movie lacks soul – we feel no sympathy for any of the characters, none of them is really built up in any depth. Having said that, while you’re watching the film, that doesn’t bother you as you get sucked in to the vortex created by the action. I would avoid it unless you’re a fan of the action genre, in which case it’s a must-see. And the cinema beckons for this one, avoid the DVD’s.