WANTED

"SSSSSSOOOORRRRRYYYYY"

Wesley Gibson (McAvoy) was a nobody with a dead end office job, a girlfriend that is cheating on him with his best friend and he lives in a neighbour more suited to the rats that far out numbers the people but just as he was thinking that things could get any worse, they did. As he picked up his prescription a beautiful woman called Fox (Jolie) walks up to Wesley and tells him that his father, who left when he was five, was one of the best assassins that ever lived and had died the previous day but the man who killed is now pointing a gun at his head. Little did Wesley know but his life was about to become anything over than ordinary, as his father was part of a fraternity of assassins that have existed for a thousand years, following the treads of fate, killing one to save a thousand.

When people think of comic book adaptations they picture a superhero in a costume bringing true and justice to the world but not all comic books deal with spectacular people wearing silly costumes.

Any comic or graphic novel fan will know that when the average cinemagoer hears that 'Wanted' is a comic book adaptation, they will instantly think of superheroes, brightly coloured costumes and that the movie will be aimed at a teenage or family audience but this is definitely not the case. Since the 'Spider-Man' and 'X-Men' movies made comic book adaptations box office gold again, movie producers and the big and small film studios alike have been scouring comics and graphic novels for stories and characters that could be the next smash at the box office. While we have seen an abundance of superheroes hit the screen but we have also seen the more character driven, less fantastical stories as well. Films like 'Sin City' and 'A History of Violence' have had critical and commercial success and now it is about to become 'Wanted' turn to gain the plaudits.

Based on the graphic novel by Mark Millar and J.G. Jones but changed slightly for the silver screen, 'Wanted' is the story of Wesley Gibson, a nobody who is coasting through life, working in an office and destined for obscurity, or so he thinks. Little does he know but his father is a master assassin and has just met his death at the hands of a rogue called Cross. Now the group that he was a part of, a collection of assassins who have killing the worst of human kind for over a thousand years called 'The Fraternity' see Wesley as their only hope against Cross, as the rogue assassin sets out to kill every member of the group. While this might be, in essence, a kind of superhero movie with Wesley going from office worker to super assassin and it is set in a hyper-realistic version of the real world, this isn't your typical comic book film.

A story like this needs a director with an eye for action, style and visuals to make this standout from any other assassin movie and they could have chosen a better person to take the rains and run with it, in Timur Bekmambetov. The visionary director of the two biggest grossing Russian movies of all time with 'Night Watch' and 'Day Watch', Bekmambetov goes west and hits the group running. Now with a Hollywood budget he gets to play, using his trademark use of visual effects and creative uses of the camera to create some action sequences that are destined to become firms favourites with action fans for many years to come.

Comic book adaptations are becoming a big draw for A-list acting talent and 'Wanted' is no different. Leading the line is one of the best up and coming actors in Hollywood at the moment, James McAvoy. A real talent, McAvoy proves that you can cast anyone and make them an action star and he really takes to the role of Wesley Gibson, revelling in the stunts and the action sequences. Angelina Jolie loves to the vixen with a very naughty look, when she can and as Fox she is definitely the bad girl you really should lust after, for your own safety. When you want to cast a leader of a Fraternity of assassins you shouldn't look much further than Morgan Freeman. Throw in some great support from Thomas Kretschmann, Terence Stamp, Marc Warren and Bekmambetov's 'Night Watch' and 'Day Watch' star Konstantin Khabensky.

While 'Wanted' might not redefine the action genre, it does push it well and truly into the new millennium. Visually stunning, expertly played and with a good plot, which is a rarity in this genre, 'Wanted' is an action movie that you will want to see again and again.