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Kickstart Entertainment
Marc Platt Productions
Spyglass Entertainment
Top Cow Productions
Universal Pictures
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Choose your destiny.
Doormat Wesley Gibson is an office worker whose life is going nowhere. He meets an attractive woman named Fox and discovers that his recently murdered father - whom Wesley never knew - belonged to the Fraternity, a secret society of assassins which takes its orders from Fate itself. Fox and Sloan, the Fraternity's leader, teach Wesley, through intense training, to tap into dormant powers and hone his innate killing skills. Though he enjoys his newfound abilities, he begins to suspect that there is more to the Fraternity than meets the eye.
John Chard
Jul 13, 2020 · via TMDB
He's the man alright. Wanted is loosely based on the comic book miniseries of the same name by Mark Millar. It's directed by Timur Bekmambetov and stars James McAvoy, Angelina Jolie, Morgan Freeman, Thomas Kretschmann, Common, Terence Stamp and Konstantin Khabensky. The storyline follows Wesley Gibson (McAvoy), a frustrated and downtrodden office worker who discovers that he is the son of a professional assassin when he is saved by Fox (Jolie) from being assassinated himself in a supermarket. Initially he is baffled and out of his depth, but upon meeting the secret "Fraternity" headed by Sloan (Freeman), Gibson starts to undergo training to fulfil his destiny as a "Fraternity" hit-man. One of the better things about popcorn action movies is when there is a geek coming good and kicking ass. Be it super-heroes or average Joe's finding something extra, having the rise of the meek get tough at its core is normally a winner. So it is with Wanted, the US directorial debut of Night/Day Watch helmer, Timur Bekmambetov. It's not so much that McAvoy's anxiety riddled office worker gets to play guns, sports cars and hang with a lithe Angelina Jolie - it's that he, courtesy of a good source, gets to not care about the killing. The film may not be as dark as the source material, but the essence of it is there with corruption and violence at the core. The story, as bonkers as it is, is simplified into one that features ancient weavers receiving messages depicting targets to be wiped from the planet for the greater good of humanity. Enter the "Fraternity" in modern times, which in the name of good, goes out slotting said targets. Oh but it's not just a case of line someone up in a telescope and pull the trigger, this is more fun than that. For action movies in this decade, Wanted has few peers. From the intense and brutal training regime that Gibson undertakes, to the number of explosive and inventive sequences that flit in and out of the piece, it delivers pulse raising cinema. There's outrageous car pursuits, car jumps with whirls and crash bangs, speeding trains resplendent with stunts, a train crash sequence that's as good as anything in popcorn world, and then there's the bullets. Curving bullets that either smack into each other or do untold damage to the forehead of some unknowing target. That the makers are not aiming for the PG-13 market is an obvious bonus, for it allows them to fully payoff on the fights and blood letting. Even those that come with funny and inventive gimmicks. Bekmambetov is having fun, the nature of the beast is a haven for his fast-cutting and slow-mo dalliances, while the noise that thunders out of the speakers pulls one further into the action. McAvoy steps up to the action plate with great success, at times charming yet pathetic, at others totally scary, he revels in the chance to carry a movie of such adrenalin fuelled excess. Jolie too comes out with much credit, the role of Fox giving her the chance to shine, unlike Lara Croft, as a charismatic action girl. While Freeman does what Freeman does well, be straight and oddly classy. Not since John Woo's action berserker Face-Off 11 years previously has the action genre been this much fun and exciting. The pace may not be perfect, and some scenes will be just too ridiculous for some demanding critics (they of course realise the tongue in cheek/nudge in the ribs that's going on?), but regardless, Wanted has taken the action genre to another level. Lets hope it's not 11 years till we have to wait for the next bar raiser. 9/10
DoryDarko
Feb 21, 2017 · via TMDB
I typically never write a review on a film that I've already seen more than once, because I insist on the review reflecting my first (and strongest) impression of the film. But after watching Wanted for what must be the 5th or 6th time now, I suddenly felt like writing something anyway, so here I go. Let me begin by saying, this is one strange film. Strange in the sense that it's literally like a train wreck that you can't keep your eyes off because it's so fascinating to watch. And you almost feel sick with guilt and exhilaration because you're enjoying it so much. Violence never looked so gorgeous before... Wanted is about a guy named Wesley Gibson, who is such a hopeless, pathetic dweeb that even Google won't return any results when he types in his own name. He is "rescued" from his pitiful cubicle existence by a gorgeous woman named Fox, who recruits him into an organisation of assassins known as The Fraternity, supposedly because they believe he is the only person who can kill the man who killed his father. Little does he know just how drastically his life will actually change once he agrees to join them. The casting of the film is spot-on. James McAvoy has already proved himself to be a versatile actor and he is very believable as a weak push-over, who finds confidence in the fact that group of trained assassins apparently believe in his abilities. He also makes his character likable and fun to watch, because he delivers it with a sense of humour and you can actually relate to him because his situation is so understandable. Basically, he's just another slave to the wage, looking for a way to break free. This way is initially offered to him by Angelina Jolie, and who could say no to a woman like that... Ms Jolie plays a role that seems like it could only have been written specifically for her. Who else could play a beautiful and deadly assassin who's charismatic and covered in tattoos? She could and would kill you in a heartbeat, and yet you just want to be near her. Morgan Freeman plays Sloan, the leader of the Fraternity, and, well... I hardly need to elaborate on this one, do I? He makes pretty much every film he's in worth watching, and that's all I need to say. Now, I titled this review 'beautiful garbage'. That's not so much because the film itself is garbage, because it's not, but rather because the events portrayed in this film are so brutal and merciless that they could only come from a very dark and rotten place. The 'beautiful' is directed at the visual effects, because everything ranging from camera techniques to production design to action choreography is so beautifully done, so thrillingly eye-popping that it would almost make you forget that you're watching people get slaughtered, beat up and maimed. Tons of blood flow, brains are splattered against the wall and yet you can't take your eyes off that beautifully designed bullet. That awesome tattoo on Angelina Jolie's hand interlacing with the engravings on her gun. Those mind-blowing car chase scenes. That guy jumping through the glass out of a skyscraper just to finish his "job"... This film is visual effects executed to perfection, elevating said perfection to a whole new level. It's all so pretty to watch that it would almost make you able to forgive the writers the overpowering lack of realism. Almost. The staggering amount of ideas and actions that are 98% of the time either inconsistent, improbable or flat-out impossible would in any other case surely put any screenwriter out of work. With a film like this, it's literally only the wrapper that makes the candy sweet. It just goes to show that sometimes, making something really, really pretty can make it worth watching, just so long as you're willing to suspend every inch of disbelief for the sake of watching pretty pictures. Nature, science, biology and every other form of technical factuality is being put to the test here, which is not to say it's basically just being thrown out the window... But hey, I can promise you you're going to get to see a guy get in a car the way you've never seen before. And a girl get in a train in a fashion that defies every rule of physics... It's all worth it for a totally cool, put-your-brain-in-stand-by-mode kind of action flick. Director Timur Bekmambetov has obviously tried his darnedest to make his mark in Hollywood with his first English spoken, big-budget effort, and may I say, he could've done a lot worse. Not to mention the fact that he has managed to recruit a few very big names to top the bill, this is definitely a Hollywood debut to be proud of. I can only hope he will continue to work with the same excellent crew in the future, because although only the sound department was nominated for an Oscar, camera and visual effects would have definitely deserved a nod from the Academy too. In a nutshell, Wanted is an 110 minutes of gorgeous, eye-pleasing nonsense with great action and one very beautiful lady... I for one can't wait for the sequel. _(July 2012)_
User reviews courtesy of TMDB.
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Amazon Video
Apple TV Store
Google Play Movies
YouTube
Fandango At Home
James McAvoy
Wesley Gibson
Angelina Jolie
Fox
Morgan Freeman
Sloan
Terence Stamp
Pekwarsky
Thomas Kretschmann
Cross
Common
The Gunsmith
Kristen Hager
Cathy
Marc Warren
The Repairman
David O'Hara
Mr. X
Dato Bakhtadze
The Butcher
Konstantin Khabenskiy
The Exterminator
Chris Pratt
Barry
Lorna Scott
Janice
Brian Caspe
The Pharmacist
Brad Calcaterra
Assassin (uncredited)
Mike Whyte
Businessman (uncredited)
Claudia DiBiccari
Pedestrian (uncredited)
John Myhre
Production Design
George Richmond
"A" Camera Operator
John Toll
Additional Photography
Jay Maidment
Additional Set Photographer
Mitchell Amundsen
Director of Photography
George Richmond
Steadicam Operator
Varvara Avdyushko
Costume Design
Frances Hannon
Hair Designer
Frances Hannon
Makeup Designer
René Stejskal
Makeup Designer
C.C. Smiff
Fight Choreographer
Dominic Tuohy
Special Effects
Martin Hub
Stunt Coordinator
Mic Rodgers
Stunt Coordinator
Nick Gillard
Stunt Coordinator
Rick LeFevour
Stunt Coordinator
Alicia Skirball
Stunt Double
Eunice Huthart
Stunt Double
Jeff Shannon
Stunt Double
Leo Stransky
Stunt Double
Maurice Lee
Stunt Double
Riley Harper
Stunt Double
Veronika Bellová
Stunt Double
Carl Paoli
Stunt Driver
Chris Cenatiempo
Stunt Driver
Cort Hessler
Stunt Driver
Debbie Evans
Stunt Driver
Frank Ferrara Sr.
Stunt Driver
Linda Perlin
Stunt Driver
Roy Farfel
Stunt Driver
Scott Workman
Stunt Driver
Billy D. Lucas
Stunts
Danny Wynands
Stunts
Dean Bailey
Stunts
Franklin Mark Henson
Stunts
Freddie Hice
Stunts
Gilbert B. Combs
Stunts
Greg Tracy
Stunts
Henry Kingi
Stunts
Jennifer Lamb
Stunts
John C. Meier
Stunts
Jophery C. Brown
Stunts
Laura Albert
Stunts
Leonard Woodcock
Stunts
Mark Southworth
Stunts
Michael Runyard
Stunts
Samantha MacIvor
Stunts
Thomas Robinson Harper
Stunts
Tim Trella
Stunts
Todd Rogers Terry
Stunts
Jason Rodriguez
Utility Stunts
Timur Bekmambetov
Director
Dmitry Kiselyov
Second Unit Director
Mic Rodgers
Second Unit Director
David Brenner
Editor
Jared LeBoff
Co-Producer
Gary Barber
Executive Producer
Jeff Kirschenbaum
Executive Producer
Marc Silvestri
Executive Producer
Roger Birnbaum
Executive Producer
Iain Smith
Producer
Jim Lemley
Producer
Marc Platt
Producer
Danny Elfman
Original Music Composer
Wylie Stateman
Supervising Sound Editor
Max Solomon
Animation Supervisor
Dominic Tuohy
Special Effects Supervisor
Stefen Fangmeier
Visual Effects Supervisor
Mark Millar
Comic Book
Chris Morgan
Screenplay
Derek Haas
Screenplay
Michael Brandt
Screenplay
Goodnight Moon
Vindicta
Vengeance
The Journey to Gyeong-ju
Dear Vengeance
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Heat
V for Vendetta
Forgotten
Wild Tales
Foonote
Nine Queens
The Man from Nowhere
Le Deuxième Souffle
Planet of the Apes
Sleepers
Snake in the Monkey's Shadow
Lady Vengeance
Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Letters from Iwo Jima
Key Largo
Fury
The French Connection
The Bourne Identity
Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance
The Bourne Ultimatum
Eastern Promises
Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai
Total Recall
Lethal Weapon
Running Out of Time
Angamaly Diaries
Assault on Precinct 13
Fast Five
300
The Talented Mr. Ripley
Fresh
Billa
Straw Dogs
Scum
Dragon Ball Z: Cooler's Revenge
Mission: Impossible
Riki-Oh: The Wall of Hell
Dark Sunday
Kismat
Roadside Assistance
Pokémon: The First Movie
Layer Cake
Don't Look Now
The Murderers Are Among Us
Shogun Assassin
So Close
Raavanan
Iron Man 2
Game Night
Kickboxer
Eden Lake
99 Homes
Brighton Rock
Smart Money
Dry Season
Panic Room
Road House
Acrimony
Bleeder
The Killer Is Loose
Hell's Belles
From Hell
Fast & Furious
Walking Tall
The Night Walker
The End of War
D.I.S.C.O.
The Brave One
The Raven
The Running Man
The Doom Generation
The Murder Room
Soo
Husband Killers
Uninvited
G.I. Jane
Ikatan Darah
30 Days of Night
Over Your Dead Body
The General's Daughter
The Jackal
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Ripley's Game
Less Than Zero
The 24th Day
The 10 Million Dollar Getaway
Bull
The Invisible Ray
Gangbusters
The Unholy
Thriller: A Cruel Picture
Old
Cassandra's Dream
Hannibal Rising
The Air I Breathe
Savage Streets
Death Warrant
Death Wish 3
The Devil's Own
Sharky's Machine
Golgo 13: The Professional
Ninja III: The Domination
Special Agent
Stuck
The Shepherd: Border Patrol
Marked for Death
The Ghost Train
The Dead Lands
Pom Poms and Payback
Raising Cain
Ghost Story
Cemil
Is God Is
The Specialist
Truth or Dare
Righteous Kill
Fear Is the Key
Road to Paloma
A Fire in the Cold Season
The True Game of Death
Nightmare at Shadow Woods
Bunraku
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra
Ben-Hur
The Gunman
Kalaga Thalaivan
Already Dead
Mother's Day
The Legend of Red Dragon
The Covenant
Kickboxer 2: The Road Back
Bruiser
WΔZ
Someone Behind the Door
Pistol Whipped
Devil on Deck
Kung Fu Inferno
The Island of Thirty Coffins
The Other Man
The Lust of Angels
Homestead
Blood Creek
Tamara
Straightheads
Bitter Feast
Derailed
Sarkar 3
Monster
.45
Urban Justice
Geisha Assassin
The Octagon
Hennessy
Thunderbirds
She-Devils on Wheels
Pyro... The Thing Without a Face
Point of Impact
Die Totenschmecker
American Scumbags
Secrets in Suburbia
Red Mist
A Round Trip to Love 2
The Art of War II: Betrayal
Rollin' with the Nines
Dragon Wars: D-War
Into the Sun
The Hyena
The Scarehouse
Attack Force
Flight of Fury
Out for a Kill
Highlander: The Source
Dangerous Indiscretion
Blonde and Blonder
Blind Target
Yemaali
Bang or Die
Orgy of the Damned
Fem fatale
Big Hands
Talk to the Gun
Young Lust
The Full House
The Whole World Blind (Or: The Ballad of the Cuck and the Eunuch)
Hunting Ground
Burnt Flowers
The Hypersonic Solution
Death Has No Master
The Lion Who Conquers Shura
The Year of the Rat
Al Sharabiya
Big Rig
Bloodlust
Widow
Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair
Kill Bill: Vol. 1
Frank and Penelope
The Boondock Saints
El padrino: The Latin Godfather
Accident Man: Hitman's Holiday
Shadow Master
No Retreat, No Surrender 3: Blood Brothers
Ninja: Shadow of a Tear
Savaged
War
Sin City: A Dame to Kill For
Polar
State Property
Crying Freeman
The Assignment
Death Race
Accident Man
Who Dares Wins
The Substitute 2: School's Out
Death Wish
Ninja III: The Domination
Out for Justice
God Is a Bullet
Sniper: Legacy
Rampage: Capital Punishment
Stone
The Protector
Hard to Kill
Until Death
Punisher: War Zone
Night Train
Brake
American Yakuza
In the Blood
Replicant
White Elephant
Jun 19, 2008
Los Angeles Film Festival
Jun 26, 2008
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Versus
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The Stranglers - Live '78, SF
1978
Saddle Leather Law
1944
Sign in to vote
Battle your watched movies head-to-head
Community Top Movies
Evil Dead II
1987 · 14 wins
The Dark Knight
2008 · 14 wins
Halloween
1978 · 13 wins
Final Destination
2000 · 12 wins
Halloween II
1981 · 11 wins
Trivia
Leaderboard →Playing as a guest — sign in to save your score and rank on the leaderboard.
Movie Trivia
Guess the movie from a clue — tagline, plot, cast and more. Pick from four posters.
What movie experience do you prefer?
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