Movie Review Catch-up: Wanted

Hi All:

I have been remiss in my movie reviews. I still have to write my review of "Get Smart", and I will have a review of "Wall-E" posted tomorrow, but today I thought that I would regale you with a review of "Wanted."

There is something special about assassin films-those films that feature, at their heart, a cold blooded gun for hire who is an expert at what he or she does. There have been the good ("Casino Royale", "The Day of the Jackal", "The Manchurian Candidate (original)", "In the Line of Fire", and the "Bourne" films), the bad (any film where Stallone is an assassin-see "Assassins" and "The Specialist"), and the ugly (any film where Antonio Banderas is an assassin-see "Assassins" -actually, DON'T see "Assassins" and the deplorable "Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever.") Heck, I was even a sucker for "Mr. and Mrs. Smith", but that had more to do with the way Angelina Jolie kicked ass while wearing heels. At the same time, most assassin films are rather pedestrian and predictable. The scripts consist of cat and mouse games (good assassin vs. bad assassin, cop vs assassin, etc), and the action occurs in the various face-offs between the parties involved. There really has not been a quantum leap in action films since the time of John Woo's great heroic bloodshed films from his Hong Kong years and "The Matrix", which introduced us to the amazing "wire-fu" work of Hong Kong special effects maestro Yuen Woo Ping. The action films of the 80s forced us to leave our brains at the door in order to catch the latest film where Arnold said "I'll be back" (Dude, he said "I'll be back!" Awesome-our expectations were low). With the introduction of John Woo's HK films and the Wachowski Brothers, the action films of the late 90s and early 00s have definitely taken on an "Eastern" sort of flare. "Batman Begins", "Kill Bill", and even the last "Lethal Weapon" film borrowed heavily from the action films of Hong Kong. With each film, however, the law of diminishing returns seemed to be in effect. How can a writer and a director convince an audience of the intensity of an action scene where audience s have become adept at picking out CGI? That is easy. EMPHASIZE THE STORY. I am happy to say that story is making a comeback. Don't believe me? Witness the riches of this summer movie season. I have now watched "Iron Man", "The Incredible Hulk", "Sex and the City", "Get Smart", "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull", "Wall-E", and "Wanted." The thing that marked all of them (except, surprisingly, the Indiana Jones film) is how the story is the thing and how the special effects and action sequences are truly in service to the story. As the audiences become more and more sophisticated, the filmmakers are finally rising to the occasion and treating their audiences to amazing spectacle rooted in engrossing story telling. One of the best ways to accomplish this is to adapt a story from another medium. Comic books are a great source because the story starts out storyboarded for the screenwriters and the filmmakers. Of course, choosing the right property is the key.

Enter Mark Millar. Now, many of you may not be familiar with this comics writer, but if you have seen "Iron Man" and "The Incredible Hulk", his imprint is everywhere. The stories he has crafted for Marvel's Ultimate universe form the backbone for the greater Marvel Universe that has been created in their 2 films this summer. Millar's third property for the summer is an entirely original creation from Millar's demented mind. Millar treats his comics audience with derision. He loves to mess with sacred cows and give the proverbial finger to comics fans everywhere, but the fanboys always tend to eat it up. Nowhere was this more apparent than in his graphic novel for "Wanted." Of course, the overall story of "Wanted" was indeed intriguing. As the trailers tell us, "Wanted" is the story of an everyman stuck in a dreary existence who, one day, learns that his father was a member of a centuries-old brotherhood of assassins named the Fraternity. The members are marked by a physical condition that allows them to, for short periods of time, accelerate their heart rates, create more adrenaline, and actively control their bodies in ways that ordinary men cannot. Seeking meaning in his meaningless existence, the young man embraces his new lifestyle with vigor, seeking to avenge the murder of his predecessor, who also happens to be his father.

Now, up until this point, the story seems very predictable, right? I mean, one can almost see that the assassin will train and kill up until the point where the climax of the film is a mano-e- mano showdown with the villain who killed his Dad.

Strangely, something happened on the way to predictability. After taking us through the opening story arc with breakneck speed, dazzling stunts (real stunts married with CGI), and an engrossing, if predictable, story. the film's story changed 2/3 of the way through the film. It was as if the director, who had led us into a false sense of complacency, decided to pull the rug out from under the audience and lead it into a completely new direction. The result was a thrill ride with an amazing action set piece near the end and a thoroughly satisfying conclusion.

I loved it.

Now, this is definitely one of those films that follows comic book science. This means that one should not try to reconcile the physics of reality with the physics within this film's universe. The actors were all top notch, especially the big 3 of Morgan Freeman, Angelina Jolie, and James McAvoy. The action was spread out throughout the film and was in service to the story. More importantly, we see people getting hurt and injured, with scars to show for it. I loved the global feel of the film as well. Though the f ilm was based in Chicago, we get to see the home of the Fraternity in Europe and an AMAZING train wreck/action sequence. I would also be remiss if I did not mention the wonderful soundtrack. Until now, Danny Elfman's work always seemed rather pedestrian, with instantly recognizable musical cues spread out through all of his work with Tim Burton and others. I was, therefore, shocked when I saw Elfman's name in the credits. Elfman not only created the orchestral music for the film; the former Oingo Boingo singer also contributed an original song for the soundtrack, the instantly memorable "The Little Things." Throw in a perfect Nine Inch Nails song played over the films coda ("Every Day is Exactly the Same") and you get a soundtrack that is instantly memorable. This was a fun thrill ride, and I cannot wait for the blu-ray to come out. I think that I will be revisiting the universe of "Wanted" for many years to come. I am still stunned with how the film ended. Having watched so many films over the years, it is not often that a film can surprise me. When films succeed in this, they deserve special mention. A lot has been made with how the film "borrows heavily" from "Fight Club" and "The Matrix." FALSE-such accusations are the work of lazy reviewers. If you are in the mood for a thrill ride with great action and a story replete with twists and turns, then "Wanted" is the film for you.

What a fun movie!