Wanted (2008)
Action, Crime, Fantasy |
Wanted is a American action thriller film directed by Timur Bekmambetov and written by Michael Brandt, Derek Haas, and Chris Morgan, loosely based on the comic book miniseries by Mark Millar and J. G. Jones. The film stars James McAvoy, Morgan Freeman, Terence Stamp, Thomas Kretschmann, Common, and Angelina Jolie. Its plot revolves around Wesley Gibson, a frustrated account manager who discovers that he is the son of a professional assassin and decides to join the Fraternity, a secret society in which his father worked.
Universal Pictures acquired the adaptation rights from Millar in 2004, and while the eventual script drifted from the comic book supervillain mythos in the original miniseries, he was content to see most of the comic’s darker content retained. Production began in April 2007, with filming in the Czech Republic, Budapest, and the story’s main setting, Chicago. Bekmambetov’s production company, Bazelevs Production, provided the majority of the film’s visual effects. Danny Elfman scored the film, employing a guitar-based musical score.
In Chicago, Wesley Gibson works at a dead-end desk job with an overbearing boss, takes medication for panic attacks, and has a live-in girlfriend who cheats on him with his co-worker, Barry. One evening, Wesley is told by a woman named Fox that his recently murdered father was an assassin, and the killer, named Cross, is now hunting him. When Cross and Fox engage in a shootout, Wesley panics and is pursued by Cross. Fox flips Wesley into her car and then executes an escape.
Wesley awakens in a factory surrounded by Fox and other assassins. The group’s leader, Sloan, forces Wesley at gunpoint through the Gunsmith to shoot the wings off of several flies, which he does, much to Wesley’s shock. Sloan explains that Wesley’s panic attacks are actually a rare ability that allows him to distribute massive amounts of adrenaline to his brain, slowing his perception of his surroundings and granting him superhuman strength and speed.
Director: Timur Bekmambetov
Writers: Michael Brandt (story & screenplay), Derek Haas (story & screenplay), Chris Morgan (screenplay), Mark Millar (comic book series), J.G. Jones (comic book series)
Stars: James McAvoy, Morgan Freeman, Terence Stamp, Thomas Kretschmann, Common, Angelina Jolie
►Cast:
| James McAvoy | … | Wesley |
| Morgan Freeman | … | Sloan |
| Angelina Jolie | … | Fox |
| Terence Stamp | … | Pekwarsky |
| Thomas Kretschmann | … | Cross |
| Common | … | The Gunsmith |
| Kristen Hager | … | Cathy |
| Marc Warren | … | The Repairman |
| David O’Hara | … | Mr. X (as David Patrick O’Hara) |
| Konstantin Khabenskiy | … | The Exterminator (as Konstantin Khabensky) |
| Dato Bakhtadze | … | The Butcher |
| Chris Pratt | … | Barry |
| Lorna Scott | … | Janice |
| Sophiya Haque | … | Puja |
| Brian Caspe | … | The Pharmacist |
| Mark O’Neal | … | Co-Worker |
| Bridget McManus | … | Check-Out Girl |
| Bob Ari | … | Man in the Limo |
| Brad Calcaterra | … | Assassin Max Petridge |
| Julia Copeland | … | Driver |
| Ryan Curtis | … | Weaver |
| Claudia DiBiccari | … | Pedestrian |
| Sharlene Grover | … | Hotel Guest |
| Michael Jeremiah | … | Weaver |
| John Joseph MacDonald | … | Westley’s Decoy |
| Joseph Mazurk | … | Pedestrian Near Wesley’s Apartment |
| Tyson Minnick | … | Man on Sidewalk |
| Larry Nazimek | … | Driver |
| Eliyas Qureshi | … | Weaver Assassin |
| Amit Shah | … | Hotel Guest |
| Scarlett Sperduto | … | Young Fox |
| Giota Trakas | … | Store customer |
| Mike Whyte | … | Businessman |
| Bernadett Belinda York | … | Girl on Sidewalk |
| George Zerante | … | Driver |
| Joshua Zumhagen | … | Pedestrian |
Sources: imdb & wikipedia