Wednesday, June 25, 2008

'Wanted' review


From aicn, I had a chance to see the movie last week and I'm just getting around to writing something about it.If I were to boil WANTED down to its basic elements, I'd say the film was a watered down version of FIGHT CLUB by way of THE MATRIX. Now both FIGHT CLUB and THE MATRIX are potent films, so even diluted, it's an interesting premise to wrap a film around and I can appreciate that the powers that be at Universal had the balls to go through with an R rating for this one even though it may mean a bit of a difficult sell in this PG-13 friendly box office world we live in right now. People who like FIGHT CLUB and THE MATRIX will like this film for the same reasons they like those films: it’s violent, loud, bloody, and fast-paced. But people who love those films may find WANTED to be a bit redundant and stale compared to the real thing.

But WANTED is a fun film and it has a whole lot going for it. The director, Timur Bekmambetov, has proven himself to be one of those talents that pique my interest every time I see the name. His work on NIGHTWATCH and especially the senses-shattering DAYWATCH definitely proves that he can handle big budget action and fantasy. But with all of the flash and flair, both of those films lacked in heart, with DAYWATCH being the worst of the two falling back on sitcom-style antics like gender swapping and sight gags to fill the gap. WANTED doesn't fall into those traps. Bekmambetov plays this one straight and out of the three it is definitely his most complete and competent film to date.


Read the full review here

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