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 In cinemas Thursday [MA15+]
Director: Timur Bekmambetov
Runtime: 110mins
I wanted to like this film – I really did. And there are a number of reasons it should have lived up to expectations. Firstly, there’s the up-and-coming James McAvoy, who is proving that he can really make a role his own. Then there’s the fact this film is based on a very successful comic book with an intriguing premise. And finally, Wanted was directed by Timur Bekmambetov, the Kazakh director who made one of the most successful Russian films in history – Night Watch, and its successor. When word came that he was directing Wanted, there was a distinct buzz in the air – what would a whirling dervish like Bekmambetov do with a budget of $75 million, when he could create wonders with $2 million?
What went wrong? The short answer is that Bekmambetov fell into the trap of opting for style over substance. There’s nothing really in this film. It starts with real promise, situating McAvoy in a dead-end job—a la Fight Club—as Wesley, an accounts manager constantly harangued by his overblown harpy of a boss, cuckolded by his best friend, and plagued by panic attacks. But his latest prescription for drugs to deal with the anxiety brings something altogether shocking—a willowy assassin driving a Dodge Viper, and a ruthless pursuer intent on their destruction.
When the smoke clears, Wesley learns he is the son of a recently despatched master assassin, and that it is his destiny to take on the mantle of his father. Before he can do that, however, he has to go into the meat-grinder that is the Fraternity’s killer training programme, which involves regular vicious beatings, close combat lessons, train-surfing, and learning to curve the trajectory of bullets. And when all is said and done, Wesley and his fellow assassins are doled out assignments from their master Sloane (Morgan Freeman), who divines their meaning from glitches in the latest woven fabric from a fateful loom.
Certainly, more has been made of much less in other very entertaining films, but Bekmambetov and his cast—including Angelina Jolie, Morgan Freeman, Terrence Stamp and German star Thomas Kretschmann—really make a mess of this one. Yes, there is plenty to look at, with slick CGI, slo-mo blood splatters, and sweat-glistened abs. But audiences looking for a little more narrative satisfaction in their action fare will be disappointed. I found myself checking my watch about halfway through the film – always a bad sign.
**½
TIM MILFULL
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