A bored and bullied Chicago insurance clerk discovers he is the son of an elite assassin and, in being invited to follow in his father’s footsteps, joins the centuries-old secret Fraternity society.
An overbearing boss in a deadend desk job, a live-in girlfriend who cheats on him with Barry, his best friend and colleague (a young Chris Pratt), Wesley Gibson (James McAvoy) medicates himself for debilitating panic attacks. Unbeknownst to him, a superhuman assassin has been murdered – and Gibson is next on the list. Cue the arrival of Fox (Angelina Jolie) to drag him away to safety and the clutches of the Fraternity, headed by Sloan (Morgan Freeman). Turns out those panic attacks, inherited from his father, is the ability to produce massive amounts of adrenaline, giving him superhuman strength and speed. He just needs to be trained to use it to the good of mankind…
Packed with action loosely based on a comic book miniseries, Wanted is an over-egged concoction of violent scene after violent scene by director Timur Bekmambetov as the geeky insurance nerd turns the tables of the hyper-trained superhumans. It has its moments but outstays its welcome.
Rating: 48%
Nominated for 2 Oscars in 2009 – sound editing & sound mixing
Director: Timur Bekmambetov (Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, Ben Hur)
Writer: Michael Brandt (3:10 to Yuma, 2 Fast 2 Furious), Derek Haas (3:10 to Yuma, 2 Fast 2 Furious), Chris Morgan (The Fast & the Furious: Tokyo Drift, 47 Ronin)
Main cast: James McAvoy (Split, Atonement), Morgan Freeman (Invictus, Million Dollar Baby), Angelina Jolie (Eternals, Changeling)
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