Oof. That opening narrative. Yikes. It’s Tyler Durden, Patrick Bateman, all ‘dem guys. There’s usually something of worth in the satirical element of those ‘Literally Me’ type of movies, but here? Not so much. James McAvoy is a good actor, don’t get me wrong, but he fits this role about as well as a bottle of water fits an energy socket. Didn’t like that nonsensical simile right there, hm? Well, neither did I, but I’m leaving it there for all to see.
McAvoy plays Wesley Gibson, just your average, downtrodden office boy who gets constant abuse from The Man, or this case, the Woman, with Lorna Scott playing Gibson’s grossly stereotyped boss Janice. But then Angelina Jolie’s manic pixie girl comes into the picture to inform Gibson that he’s a special boy, and he doesn’t need to keep doing this dreary office shiz, because he’s unique. Like, lethal assassin killer unique. Hooray.
You’ve got the Fight Club shtick loud and clear with Gibson’s irritating angsty monologues (McAvoy’s American accent attempts have improved since this flick, but his voice in this particular film’s just plain scratchy and irritating). It’s also difficult to see how Wanted didn’t take some heavy influence from The Matrix when it came to the editing department. Watching a bullet magically flying around a corner might look cool to the uninitiated, but nothing’s ever going to match the moment when Neo limbo dodges a flurry of bullets in shades and a chic trench coat. Wanted apparently suffered scheduling difficulties with special effects, and the final product just looks a bit lazy when the Wachowskis achieved so much more with technology around seven years earlier.
Morgan Freeman makes a cameo here too, which is nice. Ultimately though, nobody really stands out in the OTT plot. It’s nasty and graphic, and deliberately so, but there’s nothing to enjoy with the hyperbolic cuts and drab voiceover. There’s a bit of Trainspotting vibing near the end where a fourth wall Gibson says he used to be a loser ‘just like you’, but be assured, McAvoy ain’t got nothing on McGregor here. Choose a darkly comic narrative with a great screenplay and even greater characters. Not this substandard, schlocky action flick with joyless vibes and an even more joyless screenplay.