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Wanted is a mixed bag. The action scenes are fun, and there are quite a few of them, but everything in between feels sloppy and slapped together. I'll get into that a little bit later.
First things first. The story follows a man named Wesley, the biggest, most insignificant loser in the world. He's an accountant. His billing reports are overdue. His boss is a bitter harpie. His girlfriend is unfaithful, and his best friend is a backstabber. One day while getting medication for his anxiety attacks, he runs into a woman named Fox (Angelina Jolie) who tells him that his father was one of the greatest assassins who had ever lived. After a lengthy car chase, Wesley is brought to a man (Morgan Freeman) who tells him his anxiety attacks are actually adrenaline bursts that can let him do extraordinary things. Wesley is apprehensive at first, but he soon allows Fox to train him to join the fraternity of assassins.
You wouldn't expect this kind of movie to have much plot or character development, but Wanted comes up short even for its genre. Fox's job in the movie is to look hot, and bail Wesley out of trouble when things get hairy. She barely has any dialogue. Wesley himself (although he has the right to be) comes off as a jerk, a nervous wreck, and a coward. He toughens up later in the movie, but the audience never really gets to see much of the transition because his motivations aren't portrayed clearly enough. The twist in the beginning of the final act also suffers from lack of buildup, and the sparse character development makes what follows feel like an excuse to slap on an extra twenty five minutes before a finale that feels even more tacked on than the plot twist.
Wanted does have a few good points, though. There are a few moments of genuine humor, and the ridiculously over the top action sequences are very well staged. The flashy effects that give the action scenes an edge are also very well implemented with lots of style and finesse. Morgan Freeman also does a pretty good job milking the most he can out of his hammy dialogue, so even his bad lines sound good.
Wanted had potential, but its cool premise and terrific action and effects are mostly wasted on a script that has all the subtlety of a brightly colored freight train. Wait to rent.
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