I usually avoid writing reviews after seeing a film multiple times, because I feel like my initial impression is always the most honest reflection of it. But after watching Wanted several times now – maybe five or six – I felt compelled to write something anyway. Let me start by saying this is a really strange movie. It’s like witnessing a train wreck that's so captivating you can't look away, and feeling guilty and excited at the same time because you're enjoying it so much. Violence has never looked quite so striking before. Wanted centers on Wesley Gibson, who’s such an unremarkable person that even a search for his name online turns up nothing. He’s rescued from his dull office job by Fox, a beautiful woman who brings him into an organization of assassins called The Fraternity, believing he's the only one who can kill the man responsible for his father's death. Little does he realize just how much his life will change once he joins them. The casting is excellent. James McAvoy has demonstrated his versatility as an actor and is completely believable as a timid person who gains confidence from a group of trained assassins believing in him. He also makes the character likable and entertaining, bringing humor to the role and making it easy to relate to his situation – he’s just another worker trying to find a way out. That's initially offered by Angelina Jolie, and who could resist someone like that? She plays a part that seems tailor-made for her; who else could portray a beautiful, deadly assassin with charisma and tattoos? She could kill you instantly, yet you still want to be near her. Morgan Freeman is Sloan, the leader of The Fraternity, and I hardly need to elaborate on his contribution – he makes almost every film he’s in worth watching. I've titled this review "beautiful garbage." It's not so much that the movie itself is bad; it’s more because the events depicted are so brutal and merciless they could only come from a very dark place. The “beautiful” part refers to the visual effects, as everything – from camera work to production design to action choreography – is stunningly well-executed and thrilling, almost making you forget that you're watching people get hurt. There’s plenty of blood, brains splattered against walls, yet you can’t take your eyes off those beautifully designed bullets. That striking tattoo on Angelina Jolie’s hand blending with the engravings on her gun. Those incredible car chases. The guy jumping through glass from a skyscraper to finish his job... It's visual effects taken to a new level of perfection. It’s all so visually appealing that it almost makes you able to overlook the writers’ lack of realism. Almost. The sheer number of ideas and actions that are usually inconsistent, improbable, or completely impossible would have ended any other screenwriter’s career. With this film, it's really just the presentation that makes it enjoyable. It proves that sometimes making something incredibly beautiful can make it worth watching, as long as you’re willing to put aside your skepticism for the sake of seeing pretty images. Nature, science, biology and every factual detail is being challenged here, which isn't to say they are completely ignored... But hey, you’re going to see a man get into a car like you’ve never seen before, and a woman get onto a train in a way that defies the laws of physics. It’s all worth it for an action movie where you can just turn your brain off. Director Timur Bekmambetov clearly tried his best to make a mark in Hollywood with his first English-language, big-budget film, and he could have done much worse. He also managed to get some major stars involved, making this a debut worth celebrating. I hope he continues working with the same talented team in the future because while only the sound department received an Oscar nomination, camera work and visual effects certainly deserved recognition from the Academy too. Ultimately, Wanted is 110 minutes of gorgeous, visually stunning nonsense with great action and one very beautiful woman... I’m eagerly awaiting a sequel. _(July 2012)_

Source on TMDB