Wanted

Release Date: June 2008
Rating: 3 stars

Wanted falls into the category of summer blockbuster and if you want a quick movie fix this is the film for you. Wanted sastifies all those movie cravings including action, and incredible special effects sequences.
The film stars veteran actor Morgan Freeman, Angelina Jolie, and my favorite up-and-coming new star James McAvoy. Wanted is adapted from a comic book mini series which explains the fantasy spin on the age old assassin tale.
McAvoy plays Wesley Gibbs, just your average joe, although he can be a little neurotic at times; taking pills for his anxiety problems. Wesley has a crappy job, a girlfriend and best friend who walk all over him, and no hope for escaping his dull existence, that is until he meets Fox (Angelina Jolie).
Fox introduces Wesley to The Fraternity, a society of assassins that has been around for 1,000 years protecting society by keeping things in balance. From then on Wesley is swept up in a whirlwind lifestyle he never though possible.
The movie has great special effects and some really great action scenes, including someone jumping from a building as he shoots people on the next rooftop.
The plot is a bit sketchy but the action and cinematography more than make up for it. Jolie as usual gives a stiff performance, and the chemistry between Jolie and McAvoy is seriously lacking.
Wanted is rated R for sexual content, language, and extreme violence. There are a couple of sex scenes with rear male nudity, and a scene in which Jolie gets out of a bath tub and we see a shot of her naked backside (which isn't so great because she's scary skinny!) There is a heavy usage of the F word, most of which are unnecsessary and add bulk to an otherwise good film. The violence in the film is very heavy and graphic. If you don't like seeing bullets go through people's heads then this isn't a film for you.
I thought the film was fun and a good story with a stellar performance from rising star McAvoy, and as usual the token villain that is filled by Samuel L. Jackson or Morgan Freeman, in this case its Freeman.
Wanted is filled with some great action sequences and awesome special effects. I would recommend this movie for people who are fans of films like Sin City, Underworld, or Pulp Fiction.
Its definitely not a movie for anyone who is squemish!