NOW IN THEATERS

WANTED
Rated R
James McAvoy, Morgan Freeman, Angelina Jolie, Common, Thomas Kretschmann, Terence Stamp

Brian’s Rating       

There’s a lot to like about Wanted, but you’re going to have to be patient and wait for it to unfold.

Somewhere between the furies of over-the-top car chase scenes, a spate of bloody violence, and a voyeuristic panorama of Angelina Jolie’s wall-to-wall tattoos, is a decent fantasy/action-adventure film crying out to be heard.

James McAvoy’s character discovers that he is the heir apparent to an assassin’s legacy when a pouty-lipped, gun-toting Angelina Jolie informs him that his bloodline includes a string of hired-gun nobility dating back centuries.

A brutal training regimen transforms our hero-in-the-making from a cowardly nerd to a deadly killer, and requires the majority of the film’s 110-minute length.

But the wait is worth it. Those who can overlook the occasionally cornball dialogue and the implausible feats of strength, endurance and marksmanship, will be amply rewarded.