Talk about ‘high tech’ excitement, “Wanted” is a fast paced, take no prisoner action flick that leaves you wondering “how’d they do that?” It appears Russian-born director, Timur Bekmambetov, thinks outside the box, way outside the box, and shares his unique vision with American audiences.
Morgan Freeman and Common play powerful and pivotal roles in this hot summer flick which according to Freeman has action sequences filmgoers have never seen before.
“Wanted” is based on the comic book series of the same title. Revamped for the screen, “Wanted” tells the story of a young man named Wesley played by James McAvoy (“Atonement,” “The Last King of Scotland”), a wimp of a guy that the world seems to pick on. Little does he know how his life will change when he meets Fox played by Angelina Jolie, (“Mr. & Mrs. Smith,” “Lara Croft: Tomb Raiders”). First she tells him is father just died, (Wesley believes his father died when he was an infant), then she saves him from an assassin’s bullet. From there Wesley’s life flips and things get even more deadly.
Wesley is introduced to the Fraternity, a centuries-old league of supersensory trained assassins pledged to carry out the unbreakable orders of fate. Their motto: Kill one, save a thousand. And it appears that Wesley’s father was a member of the Fraternity and Wesley, unbeknownst to him, has inherited the necessary traits to be a top enforcer of the Fraternities creed. The Fraternity finds unity in and lives by its mission: to preserve balance in the world by eliminating those who are predicted by the Loom of Fate to disturb this balance and to cause harm. And who is in charge of the Loom of Fate? None other than Morgan Freeman (“Batman Begins,” “Million Dollar Baby”), who plays Sloan, the master architect of the ancient society.
As Wesley becomes more powerful, and adapts to his role as an assassin, things begin to take a disturbing route. The plot thickens when Wesley starts to think twice about the intentions of the Fraternity, and whether or not they are as noble as they present themselves to be. With these thoughts in mind, Wesley takes on a new task that will make him even more powerful than ever.
Oh, the stuff superheroes, even super assassins are made of.
In today’s Hollywood it seems that Morgan Freeman is the man, when it comes to playing characters with enormous power. Indeed, Freeman brings a somewhat mystical quality to this film, as well as others he’s starred in where he wields a great deal of power.
Freeman says “I’ve been in many, many, many films, and so I’m always looking to find something different to try.” “When I read “Wanted,” I thought the concept was compelling, and Timur’s a very interesting filmmaker. Combine that with the rest of the cast-and the fact that I haven’t done too many action movies-and I was eager to participate.” Angelina Jolie says, “He’s tough in this movie, I think he’s going to surprise people.”
Grammy Award winning artist Common (“Street Kings,” “Smokin’ Aces”) stars as the Gunsmith.
He says his character is a master of weaponry, guns in particular, from how to build them to new shooting techniques. But he insists this character has a good heart and is incredibly serene and focused. Common says he’s thrilled to be in this film with such great actors, especially Morgan Freeman whom he calls a master.
This movie is an action lovers dream; it is a high tech action thriller. And if you’re more into great performances, this movie has that too, it’s great summer fun.
“Wanted” opens in theaters Friday.
– Gail Choice can be reached at gcprods@aol.com.
