Wanted Review: A Wild Ride for Over-the-Top Action Fans

This Wanted review starts with a simple promise: the film is loud, stylish and gleefully silly. Timur Bekmambetov directs a 2008 action thriller that treats physics as a suggestion and bullets as paintbrushes. If you want swagger over subtlety, read on.

Wanted Review: The Story So Far (No Spoilers)

The Wanted plot follows Wesley Gibson (James McAvoy), a timid office worker with a nagging boss, a cheating girlfriend and a panic disorder. His life changes when Fox (Angelina Jolie) rescues him from a deadly attack in a supermarket. She tells him his father, a man he never knew, was a member of the Fraternity, a secret society of assassins.

The group claims to take its orders from Fate itself. Its leader, Sloan, offers Wesley a chance to unlock hidden abilities and finally become someone. The first act is a brisk, funny setup, and the training sequences that follow are brutal and inventive.

The film is loosely based on a comic book miniseries by Mark Millar. It keeps the premise of a loser turned killer, but it is its own beast on screen.

What Works in Wanted

The action is the headline. Bekmambetov stages curved bullets, impossible car stunts and slow-motion gunfights with real visual flair. Few mainstream action thrillers of its era dared to look this strange.

• Energy: The pace rarely lets up across a 110-minute runtime.

• Tone: It knows it is absurd and leans into the dark humor.

• Transformation arc: Watching a doormat find his nerve gives the spectacle a human hook.

The opening act deserves special praise. Wesley's miserable office life is played for laughs, which makes his shift into the Fraternity's world feel earned. Audiences clearly connected with it: the TMDB score sits at 6.5 out of 10 from nearly 8,000 votes.

Wanted Cast and Performances

The Wanted cast is a big part of the appeal, and the three leads make a lively mix.

James McAvoy as Wesley

McAvoy sells both the beaten-down everyman and the cocky fighter he turns into. His frazzled voice-over gives the film a sardonic edge. It is a strong showing for a lead who is not an obvious action star.

Angelina Jolie and Morgan Freeman

Jolie brings cool menace as Fox, speaking little but commanding every frame. Morgan Freeman, as Sloan, uses his calm, fatherly presence to make the Fraternity feel almost welcoming. That warmth is precisely what makes the group intriguing.

Supporting players

Terence Stamp appears as Pekwarsky, Thomas Kretschmann plays Cross, and Common is The Gunsmith. They have limited screen time, but each adds texture to the secret society.

Where Wanted Stumbles

The story is thin once the novelty fades. The Fraternity's central idea, that fate sends its orders through a loom, is silly even by the film's own loose rules. Some viewers will find the logic hard to swallow.

The violence is also heavy. This R-rated drama-action hybrid enjoys its carnage, and the tone can feel callous when the film pauses for serious emotion. Characters beyond Wesley are sketched quickly, so a few emotional beats land softly.

Finally, the film leans on style so hard that quieter scenes feel rushed. It is a ride, not a character study.

Is Wanted Worth Watching?

Yes, Wanted is worth watching if you want a slick, high-octane action film and can forgive a flimsy plot. It is not deep, but it is energetic, well cast and visually daring. Fans of stylish, comic-book-flavored violence will have a blast.

If you prefer grounded thrillers, the glossy excess may wear thin. For everyone else, it is a fun, fast evening. You can browse more action movie reviews or explore our drama movie reviews for something different.

For a similar shot of grit, try our take on Deva. You can also check the film's full credits on IMDb.

Who Will Enjoy Wanted

• Viewers who love stylized, bullet-bending action and don't mind a thin story.

• Fans of James McAvoy, Angelina Jolie or Morgan Freeman looking for a lively genre outing.

• Anyone who likes dark, comic-book-flavored revenge tales with a sense of humor.