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Wanted
Universal Pictures


6.5

based on 38 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 217 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie

FILM:

MPAA RATING: R for strong bloody violence throughout, pervasive language and some sexuality

Starring James McAvoy, Morgan Freeman, Terence Stamp, Thomas Kretschmann, Common, and Angelina Jolie

Wanted tells the tale of one apathetic nobody’s transformation into an unparalleled enforcer of justice. 25-year-old Wes was the most disaffected, cube-dwelling drone the planet had ever known. Until he met a woman named Fox. After his estranged father is murdered, the deadly sexy Fox recruits Wes into the Fraternity, a secret society that trains Wes to avenge his dad’s death by unlocking his dormant powers. With wickedly brilliant tutors—including the Fraternity’s enigmatic leader, Sloan—Wes grows to enjoy all the strength he ever wanted. But, slowly, he begins to realize there is more to dangerous associates than meets the eye. And as he wavers between newfound heroism and vengeance, Wes will come to learn what no one could ever teach him: he alone controls his destiny. (Universal Studios)

GENRE(S):	Action \| Suspense/Thriller
WRITTEN BY:	J.G. Jones (comic book series), Mark Millar (comic book series) Michael Brandt (story & screenplay) Derek Haas (story & screenplay) Chris Morgan (screenplay)
DIRECTED BY:	Timur Bekmambetov
RELEASE DATE:	DVD: December 2, 2008 Theatrical: June 27, 2008
RUNNING TIME:	110 minutes, Color
ORIGIN:	USA

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

The Hollywood Reporter Michael Rechtshaffen

This over-the-top, ultraviolent, hyperkinetic action thriller pretty much has it all.

New York Magazine David Edelstein

It takes about an hour after it's over for the heart to slow, the brain to recalibrate, and the nonsensicalness of the thing to sink in.

Portland Oregonian Shawn Levy

Bekmambetov revs it up furiously and unleashes one bit of hyperactive, dazzling invention after another. The result is a throwaway wrapped up in the coolest packaging imaginable, which is acres better than the opposite.

Baltimore Sun Michael Sragow

What's bleakly hilarious about the whole movie is that Bekmambetov directs the nonaction scenes just as hyperbolically.

Time Richard Corliss

The summer's zazziest action movie.

Empire Kim Newman

Not as dark as its source material, Wanted works exceptionally on its own terms. McAvoy crashes the A-list, Jolie finally gets to be as big a star on screen as she has been in print, and Bekmambetov proves the most exciting action-oriented emigré since John Woo.

Variety Todd McCarthy

Like it or not, Wanted pretty much slams you to the back of your chair from the outset and scarcely lets up for the duration.

Film Threat Pete Vonder Haar

For all of its shortcomings, Wanted is a strangely enjoyable flick.

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

The way to enjoy this film is to put your logic on hold, along with any higher sensitivities that might be vulnerable and immerse yourself as if in a video game.

Rolling Stone Peter Travers

Brutal, sexy, built to thrill and minus a scintilla of redeeming social value, the movie -- based on a series of comic books by Mark Millar and J.G. Jones -- explodes like summer fireworks.

Premiere Malina Saval

If you're looking for memorable dialogue and gripping drama, then you better get in line for another flick. But if it's spellbinding special effects and high-wire acts you crave, Wanted should be at the top of your list for big budget thrill rides.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Sean Axmaker

Jolie steals the film from nominal star McAvoy in the wild gunfight and dynamically absurd chase that kick Wanted into high gear. Her wicked moves and seductive smirk brand her immediately as a true believer who really, really loves her work.

Charlotte Observer Lawrence Toppman

His movies are thrilling and ridiculous in equal measure, and I often laughed with incredulous approval as he wreaked havoc.

Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum

Best of all, there's a lot of Jolie, barrels blazing. The star's fearlessly sexy hauteur is unique in the biz today. And when she works it in Wanted, she kills, bullets optional.

ReelViews James Berardinelli

There are times when the film is flat-out silly (such as the spinning car assassination), but that's part of the movie's charm. At its worst, Wanted is never boring. At its best, it can be damn close to intoxicating. One word, written without apology, describes it best: fun.

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Rick Groen

This is a blockbuster busting out of the block; this is a Hollywood staple served up on a European platter; this is summertime fare with a wintry verve.

New York Post Kyle Smith

Wanted is like a 12-armed heavy-metal drummer after a case of Red Bull, flailing and thundering through two hours of impossible action.

Wall Street Journal Joe Morgenstern

Before Wanted reaches the end of its wild course, the violence that's been nothing but oppressive becomes genuinely if perversely impressive; the ritual carnage becomes balletic carnage (railroad cars included); the Walter Mitty-esque hero, Wesley, played by James McAvoy becomes a formidable enforcer of summary justice, and Mr. McAvoy, most memorably the young doctor in "The Last King of Scotland," becomes a certified star.

Los Angeles Times Sam Adams

Wanted's hyperkinetic antics are sometimes weighed down by a surfeit of adolescent misanthropy. But the adrenaline-overdose strategy works for viewers as well as hit men. As long as Bekmambetov keeps the pedal to the metal, you don't notice the rotten scenery outside.

Salon.com Stephanie Zacharek

Fast-moving and bloody, enjoyable even within its unapologetically generic limits. But McAvoy is its real secret weapon: With his X-ray blue eyes and lips that look bitten with anxiety, he has the miraculous ability to fool us into thinking there's really something at stake here.

Village Voice Jim Ridley

In the end, Wanted may be most notable for cementing the connection between superhero movies and the cinematic craze they have temporarily supplanted, torture porn--both genres that, like "Fight Club," address our ambiguous fascination with being powerless and invulnerable at the same time.

Washington Post Ann Hornaday

With its pounding, bloody violence, foul-mouthed language and putrid worldview, Wanted isn't comic book-y on a par with "Iron Man" or "The Incredible Hulk." Rather it's an example of revenge of the nerds at its nastiest and most vulgar.

Slate Dana Stevens

A compendium of bedside erotica. I don't know when I've seen a mainstream movie that so explicitly caters to the S&M niche. And the chemistry of the central couple, which seemed destined to bring the movie down, is instead the hottest thing in this effects-laden but ultimately empty film.

The Onion (A.V. Club) Keith Phipps

Wanted is a queasily unapologetic power fantasy about becoming a better person through violence.

Boston Globe Ty Burr

Preposterous, luridly entertaining.

TV Guide Maitland McDonagh

Slick, stylish and super-violent, but also oddly dull.

Philadelphia Inquirer Steven Rea

Wanted is head-spinning stuff, and it's easy to get caught up in its masterfully manipulated mayhem. Visually, and viscerally, it's pretty awesome.

USA Today Claudia Puig

The thrilling stunts and hyperkinetic action scenes are the undisputed stars of this surprisingly entertaining film.

The New Yorker Anthony Lane

As nonsense goes, this has a certain gusto and glee, and what dismayed me was that Bekmambetov felt the need to spice it with the addition of coarsely chopped violence.

New York Daily News Elizabeth Weitzman

There's barely a frame that doesn't look stretched, smashed or otherwise harassed. Imagine "The Matrix" on speed, and you're halfway there.

The New York Times Manohla Dargis

Things happen in Wanted, but no one cares. You could call that nihilism, but even nihilism requires commitment of a kind and this, by contrast, is a movie built on indifference.

San Francisco Chronicle Mick LaSalle

Either a go-for-broke action movie or a sick, sick movie for a sick, sick public.

Miami Herald Connie Ogle

The film hardly aims to be serious entertainment, and, to its credit, it's never uninteresting visually.

Newsweek David Ansen

Wanted has one good plot twist in store (though it makes little sense), and its sense of humor about its own silliness keeps the fantasy afloat for a while. But as the body count rises, so does the portentous tone, and the relentlessness of Bekmambetov's overamped style becomes oppressive.

Chicago Tribune Michael Phillips

What are Jolie and Freeman and McAvoy doing here, besides acting cooler than Clive Owen in "Shoot ’Em Up"? Cashing a check, that's what. Bekmametov may have talent, but the arrested-adolescent "escapism" of this picture emits a pretty bad odor.

Christian Science Monitor Peter Rainer

Violence in the movies, no matter how many CGI effects are utilized, can't help but be far more luridly realistic. And, in the case of Wanted, to what end?

Chicago Reader J.R. Jones

Big, cruel, stupid actioner.

Austin Chronicle Josh Rosenblatt

With every bit of sliced flesh and every punctured skull I found myself wondering who exactly this movie is for. Its unflinching violence has earned it an R rating, meaning its desired demographic – teenage boys – is out of contention. That raises the question: Are there really adults who want to sit through this kind of mindless, bullying mayhem?

The average user rating for this movie is 6.5 (out of 10) based on 217 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Dan gave it a2:
The movie fluctuates from over-the-top action, to so-far-beyond-reasonable-it's-stupid scenes; scenes of soul searching to actions without soul; and a character that goes from identifying with the audience to completely mocking them because they aren't killing people. Horrible movie.

Tania M. gave it a6:
Good action but the story is boring and bad directed.

Satyakam gave it an8:
Matrix repeated in terms of action with a good story line.

Rag M gave it a0:
This was an absolute garbage. Very hard to find even one redeeming feature. Wasted time.

Gatsby J gave it a0:
-I thought this was gonna be a decent movie at best, but it wasn't even decent. For those who gave high scores then criticized others for their low ratings, you're not really making sense. When you say that it's supposed to be mindless action, then that means you're a mindless idiot of a viewer. I don't care if the movie's concept wasn't believable (that's why we watch movies), it's the fact that the acting was horrible, the script was full of more bullet-holes than the people who get shot in this dumb-ass movie, and it didn't make much sense. -BTW, the voice-over of the main character narrating the story is some of the worst in movie history; he makes fun of the audience by saying we're mindless sheep and he's so cool, but basically he's saying is what distinguishes his thrilling existence from our boring ones is that he kills people and that makes him cool. And especially at the end when he asks what we've done with our lives: the attempt to break the "fourth wall" and sound profound doesn't work, and makes the director and writer seem like freaken retards. -Also, there's so many glaring plot-holes. Ex: the assassin at the start can jump so far and run so fast as to make papers scatter, but he's NOT the world's greatest assassin. However, NO ONE else in the movie has that ability, even the main character or his father. -I "WANTED" to like this movie, but now I just "WANT" to kick whoever's ass that made it.

Mark B. gave it a1:
Incomprehensible action sequences, zero plot, boring characters. If you have any standards beyond those of a twelve year old boy, do not waste your time.

Jason S. gave it a9:
I went in with low expectations and was greatly surprised at how good the movie was. It's not as good at the 1st Matrix (which I use as the gold standard) but it's probably the best action movie I've seen in a really long time.

Wanted Universal Pictures

Wanted
Universal Pictures