SCI FI PI

Released July 31
Starring James McEvoy, Angelina Jolie, Morgan Freeman
Director Timur Bekmambetov
Rated MA





What’s a little violence between friends? Entertainment!

Wanted is a spectacular roller-coaster ride that provides a visceral experience that goes beyond your average popcorn-muncher - on the one hand it’s a movie, and on the other it’s a manifesto. It’s filled with shocking brutality and images that are either horrific or way-cool depending on your own personal gore-ometer.

The opening sequence is the touchstone for you if you really want to go and see this movie. If you think seeing a bullet slowly emerge from the back of someone’s forehead into the daylight is totally cool, then you’ll be blown away by what happens next.



I won't tell Brad if you don't.


Is the violence hopelessly gratuitous? – not really. The action has a hyper-real tinge to it (as you’d expect from the director of Night Watch and Day Watch) and there’s a super-natural feel to the abilities of the protagonists. Combine that with the fact that your protagonists are members of a thousand year old assassin cult, and you have a pretty natural playground for crazy bullet ballet.

There are two or three levels at work in this movie. The top level, obvious to all, is the over the top action. It’s a thrill ride. The stunts are some of the best yet devised, with a spectacular blend of CG and live action vehicle work. The ‘curving bullet’ concept is lethal poetry. If you just want to watch things blow up, smash and kill, this is the movie of the decade.



No Madonna! No! You will not adopt my baby!


Secondly, there’s an underlying mythos to the film that has its roots, one of the underlying strains of Greek mythology. Which is fine if you can recognise it, but can get a little silly when you blend the worlds of mysticism and high-tech, modern day murdering. You really have to ‘let go’ to fully enjoy this part of the film. There’s also a twist to the tale that really stretches credulity – in essence you have several films competing for space, which makes for frenetic viewing or a blink and you’ve lost it experience.



What did you say about needing tampons?


Thirdly, and this is the main thrust, it’s the story of a cubicle drone who is released from his drudge-filled doom by a combination of fate and willpower. This is the real meat of the movie – what starts off as just your usual ‘he was a king all along but didn’t know it’ that we recognise so well becomes a ‘if he can do it, why can’t you?’ call to arms that becomes a clarion call by the end of the film. In a sense, this is the Fight Club of action-adventure movies, challenging the audience to change their behaviour, to rise up against apathy and turn the way they accept reality upside down.

With all this going on, Wanted can’t be dismissed as just a roller-coaster ride – even if it is a great roller-coaster ride.



Remember me Miss Daisy? Remember ME?