Most American moviegoers are not yet familiar with Timur Bekmambetov, the Russian director known for helming 2004's "Night Watch (Nochnoy dozor)" series (a soon-to-be trilogy once "Dusk Watch" joins 2006's "
Day Watch"). Widely thought to be the Russian "
Matrix", those films stylistically spun a tale of warring vampire factions in the seedy underbelly of Moscow. The "Watch" films received a limited release stateside, so Mr. Bekmambetov's official introduction to American audiences will be "Wanted", another kinetic, violent shoot-em-up. The Russian director has again cribbed much from the "Matrix" - an office worker discovers he's The Chosen One; much gunplay ensues - but the violence on screen is nothing compared to the kind of bludgeoning credulity takes during the film's running time.
After an opening sequence which is easily one of the silliest action set-pieces I've ever seen, "Wanted" introduces its would-be hero, Welsey Gibson. Like Neo before he became Neo, Wesley is a corporate cog at a dead-end job in a faceless office. Oh, also, his girlfriend is cheating on him with his best friend (and office-mate). Wesley's got it bad. Harangued by his overweight harridan of a boss, Wesley bemoans his plight in voice-over to the strains of Nine Inch Nails' perfectly angsty "Every Day is Exactly The Same" ("I believe I can see the future cause I repeat the same routine").
One night while filling a prescription for anti-anxiety pills, Wesley's caught in a shoot-out (and the subsequent car chase) between the enigmatic Fox (Angelina Jolie, given little to do) and the even more enigmatic Cross (Thomas Kretschmann, given littler to do). When the action dies down, Wesley is clued in to what's going on. And here Mr. Bekmambetov manages to rip himself off. As in the "Watch" series, "Wanted" involves a secret fraternity (in the movies, is there any other kind?) and a pact made 1000 years ago. It seems Wesley is part of a bloodline (I guess) of super-assassins with accelerated heartrates which allow them to...well, that never becomes clear. Unlike "The Matrix", the rules of the "Wanted" world never quite gel (the "Watch" films had the same problem). What these fraternal brothers (and sisters) can and can't do is dictated more by the whims of the script - written by Michael Brandt, Derek Haas and Chris Morgan, and based on the comic series by Mark Millar and J.G. Jones - than any kind of cohesive logic.
And none of what I've mentioned above can quite prepare you for the concept of "curving the bullet" - a technique of "throwing" a gun as it's fired in such a way that the bullet literally curves around its target. This is a conceit that, even in a movie based on a comic, requires a herculean suspension of disbelief. So much so that, by the time The Loom of Fate is introduced (hey, wasn't there a Chalk of Fate in "Day Watch"?!), you've already been lulled into submission. And I haven't even mentioned a convenient pool of healing wax that would be a cute cheat if it weren't so sadistically over-used.
As Wesley, James McAvoy, as ever, is an amiable presence. And for his first bid to be an action hero, he could do worse than "Wanted"; it sure looks like it was a fun movie to make. Happily, he decides to play the Anti-Neo; he's as loud and whimpering as Keanu was emotionless and staid. Ms. Jolie, meanwhile, is called upon (as she often is) to do little else but pout. She's in "Lara Croft" mode here, though there's a welcome lightness in her performance. There are few other characters on display, with the exception of Morgan Freeman, who shows up in the Morpheus-esque role as the, yes, enigmatic Sloan.
While the visuals in "Wanted" are undeniably cool - particularly an over-the-top train wreck which is downright gorgeous in its own ludicrous way - without characters to care about, they are ultimately weightless. And so, "Wanted" becomes a showcase for its director and not much else. This is fine up to a point, since Mr. Bekmambetov is considerably talented, and the script (with all its eager gunplay) is tailored to his skillset. But there's a difference between having a vision and being a visionary. With the "Watch" series, Mr. Bekmambetov got our attention. Now he needs to give us something worth watching.
