Universal Pictures Wanted (Blu-ray) Loosely based on the comic book miniseries of the same by Mark Millar and J.G. Jones, WANTED, directed by Timur Bekmambetov, follows anxiety-prone office drone Wesley Gibson (JamesMcAvoy) as he is inducted into the Fraternity, a clan of powerful killers that counted his father as a member. Pursued by rogue agent Cross (Thomas Kretschmann), Wesley is trained by the sleek, sexy Fox (Angelina Jolie) and the charismatic Sloan (Morgan Freeman), among others, to be just as proficient and deadly as his father. Once Wesley becomes a master assassin, he must confront Cross, and contend with the stunning ramifications of that encounter.

As the impresario behind gravity-defying Russian blockbuster Night Watch, it's inevitable that Hollywood would come calling for Timur Bekmambetov. With a studio budget and an international cast, including two Oscar winners, Timur cooks up a Hong Kong-styled actioner bursting with fast cars and big guns. Our unlikely hero is mild-mannered Chicago accountant Wesley Gibson (Atonement's James McAvoy), whose father died when he was a tot. Wesley never learned to stand up for himself, and his girlfriend, boss, and best buddy all take advantage until the seductive Fox (Angelina Jolie) rescues him from a sharpshooter named Cross (The Pianist's Thomas Kretschmann). After which, she whisks him away to a mansion on the edge of town to meet the other members of the Fraternity, where leader Sloan (Morgan Freeman) informs Wesley that Cross, a rogue agent, executed his father. Sloan believes Wesley has the goods to take him out, so he undergoes the Fraternity's brutal training regimen (Marc Warren and Common dish up some of the abuse). When he's ready, Sloan sends him out to fulfill his duty, but matters become complicated when Wesley finds out someone isn't telling the truth, leading our former milquetoast to exact an elaborate revenge. For those who've been following McAvoy's career to date, Wanted will surely come as a surprise. In adapting Mark Millar's comic series, Timur offers buckets of blood and a smidgen of depth, but fans of The Matrix and Mr. and Mrs. Smith will want to give this one a look. --Kathleen C. Fennessy




Stills from Wanted (Click for larger image)

This is a good movie which has some very unique special effects. Most were done in moscow so they are pretty far out there. The idea of bending a bullets flight and seeing two bullets hitting each other is not that believable, but seeing Angelina and Morgan freeman again was worth the price of the DVD. Story line was some what believable.

What is Hollywoods fixation on gross for effect scenes only.
The early opening has sex on a desk top for you to watch. My wife ripped the disk out and stomped it to death so that I could not return or resell it. She did not want anyone else to have to see at least that disk.
I saw no value to the scene. Just ignorant film making.

Great movie but not worth price with extra content. I wish I bought the regular version saved some money.

This movie was fantastic. I can not believe the young man was the one who was in the first Narnia movie. Great action movie for anyone.

After about 30 minutes of this movie, I really thought I had made a mistake buying it. I did not like how the plot was unfolding, and the acting seemed subpar. However, this flick made a huge comeback at around the 30 minute mark. Angelina Jolie gives one of her best performances, and the main character suddenly begins to become an awesome actor. The plot suddenly gets interesting, and you will want to watch it again as soon as the movie finishes. I recommend this movie to anyone looking for a fun couple of hours. Don't let the slow start bother you. The second time you watch it, you will understand why it starts how it does.

Enjoy!