Wanted (2008)

Wanted feels a bit like The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen meets Assassin's Creed in modern-day Chicago. Call it a poor man's analog Matrix. It held my interest well enough, though with weak spots in establishing the would-be hero's character and also the kinetic impossibilities that are common to over-the-top martial arts movies. (At least it is not as over-the-top as Kung Fury -- which you should see.) James Macavoy moves from bleary-eyed nebbish (cuckolded by his best friend, Chris Pratt) to a man on a mission with the aid of Angelina Jolie, Terence Stamp, Morgan Freeman, and other members of a thousand-year-old weavers guild that operates as a secret society of assassins. The driving, shooting, and acrobatic stunts defy the laws of physics, but then that is the point when it comes to training the son of the greatest superassassin on a very tight schedule. A couple of twists at the end, not to mention the curved trajectory bullets, leave a muddle (literally) at the end, with room for a sequel. Enjoy! 4 stars. (8-3-2017)