Extended Thoughts: Wanted
Perhaps some points should be given to star James McAvoy for trying to bring out his inner asshole. At no point during Wanted did I empathize with his character, that smug little prick Wesley Gibson whose problems all seem self-inflicted before being solved by shooting people in the face. Perhaps I wasn’t supposed to empathize with him. Ostensibly he is the hero (or dweeby anti-hero) of the piece, yet, in hindsight, Angelina Jolie (surprise! Her best performance outside of Michael Winterbottom’s A Mighty Heart) with her cool bluster hiding pain and fostering fanaticism of the kind usually branded on the villains is the unsung angel of death we are supposed to place our empathy. The film may or may not even ask for this, but the question does arise: Are the screen-writers (and graphic novel source material) cheap hacks or Chuck Palahniuk and Michael Haneke wannabes?
A pastiche of references in the same way as WallE, but lacking any sort of cleverness in slotting them in. Fight Club was satire (Wanted in its desperation to be as cool as Tyler Durden seems to forget that), The Matrix a parable of faith, love, and salvation (set in the key of bullet time, mainframes and kung fu), The Usual Suspects about noir styling and narrative trickery and The Highlander about the balance of elation and melancholy of when bestowed with super-powers. (Heck, even Doomsday –the far better insane-action-flick-of-2008– had the ‘where the hell is this going to go next ‘Joie de vivre’ of a vintage B-flick). Wanted lacks a brain, a heart and a soul. It is really just about providing a framework for Timur Bekmambetov to do what he does best: Really, really inventive eye candy. Not that there is anything wrong with that, and the film delivers on that in spades.
But in the summer of 2008 and the relative crapping around these parts on Ironman for being pretty rote in terms of following a connect the dots strategy, it seems unfair to give Wanted a pass for being even dumber and inevitable in that department. Also, in transplanting Russia’s Bekmambetov to the Hollywood machine, it appears that Wanted, with its bigger budget and more computing power seems to have washed out the grain and grit of his other big budget spectacle films, Daywatch and Nightwatch. Perhaps a phone call to Guillermo del Toro is in order to fix that for his next Hollywood project, or perhaps a trip back to Moscow to recharge the batteries? I dunno.
The interesting international cast (Konstantin Khabensky (star of both ‘Watch flicks), Terrance Stamp, David O’Hara and Thomas Kreschtman) is criminally wasted in rote parts and glorified cameos. The actors and inane/pat/not-too-clever plot are shown up by the special effects, which like the mayhem in a Thai action film, is enough to make a braindead watchable film yet nothing one necessarily wants to come back to again (and again). This is especially so when McAvoy’s performance and character seems to be as scatter-shot and vulgar as flying keys from a keyboard that spell out “Fuck You” While I loved that particular image, it existed in a void; there is nothing substantial to cling to as Wesley slings verbal diarrhea in voice over, directed at a highly targeted audience; done without any sense of irony or joy.
What he meant to say is: 4.5/5 stars.
Comment by Andrew James — July 2, 2008 @ 3:44 pm
Hmmm. Seems a bit harsh for a film that only sets out to shoot shit up, show off McAvoy’s abs and Jolie’s ass and generally just entertain. I thought it managed to do what it set out to do, quite well at that. Before further discussion though, I’ll listen to the podcast. Looking forward to hearing the discussion.
Comment by Marina Antunes — July 2, 2008 @ 3:51 pm
WOLVERINES!!!
Comment by Matt Gamble — July 2, 2008 @ 3:57 pm
I must be missing the connection….
Comment by Marina Antunes — July 2, 2008 @ 4:30 pm
Napovich! *breathing heavy* Na… pov.. vich.
Comment by Andrew James — July 2, 2008 @ 5:15 pm
I’m mocking Kurt’s hatred of cool shit Marina.
Comment by Matt Gamble — July 2, 2008 @ 7:21 pm
Red Dawn is cool shit, Wanted is cold diarrhea.
Comment by Jay C. — July 2, 2008 @ 7:52 pm
You had me then you lost me Jay.
Comment by Matt Gamble — July 2, 2008 @ 8:17 pm
Points for the paratrooper scene in front of the school and wimpy boy C. Thomas Howell drinking deers blood, but all that crazy ape-shit guerrilla patriotic hoopla leaves me cold.
Comment by Kurt Halfyard — July 2, 2008 @ 10:25 pm
I use to have a friend that loved C. Thomas Howell and would be able to 6-degrees of seperation with any actor in Hollywood post 1980 with him. He called him the king of B-movies. I’m sure many would disagree with that sentiment, hehe.
He had a radio show every Sunday night down here in L.A. for a couple years that ended last year. One thing I learned from him is that he acts mainly just to pay the bills and support his family.
Comment by Primal — July 2, 2008 @ 11:51 pm
@”Perhaps I wasn’t supposed to empathize with him.”
You might not have related to him but I sure did (and I’m sure Andrew said he did in the cinecast too). Although not quite to the extent that the movie wants you to I still could relate to his boring, repetitive office job and the like.
@”Are the screen-writers (and graphic novel source material) cheap hacks or Chuck Palahniuk and Michael Haneke wannabes?”
This is again you taking the movie way more seriously than it is supposed to be taken. Yes there is Fight Club in there, and yes Haneke with the looking at the camera, but I don’t think they are taking the blueprint, if you will, of how those guys fuunction in their chosen field but rather it has seen those movies and is giving them a wink every so often. If you want to go difinitive on things then I would say Wanted is homage rather than theft, but that’s description in extremity.
@”Heck, even Doomsday –the far better insane-action-flick-of-2008– had the ‘where the hell is this going to go next ‘Joie de vivre’ of a vintage B-flick”
Maybe I’m not as up on “B-movies” as you are Kurt but I did not get that from Doomsday. I could see what Marhsall was trying to do but I gotta tell you a lot of the complaints you have about Wanted I have about Doomsday. To me the ideas in that were admirable on their own but they aren’t put in there in any sort of gelling way. Now I know this CAN be a great thing (see Southland Tales, as that was part of it’s charm for me) but I don’t think it is here. To me Doomsday wanted to have it’s cake and eat it too - which CAN work (as it does with Wanted - homage + straight movie) but with Doomsday the homage ideas kind of work on their own but as a straight movie it fails, at least for me anyway.
@”Wanted lacks a brain, a heart and a soul. It is really just about providing a framework for Timur Bekmambetov to do what he does best: Really, really inventive eye candy.”
So why can’t it just be that? Why does there have to be some deep meaning or a brain fully functioning up top? Why can’t everything just be about the visuals and the action? Plenty of movies are about that and they work; and Wanted does to.
@”it appears that Wanted, with its bigger budget and more computing power seems to have washed out the grain and grit of his other big budget spectacle films, Daywatch and Nightwatch.”
I agree that some of the charm of his style may have been lost in the translation from “there to here” but Wanted also corrects a lot of the incoherence of those Russian flicks. Now I know you say that’s one of the reasons you like those but for me (and I’m saying this having just rewatched Night Watch last night) it’s quite hard to follow at times. And not in a good way. Now don’t get me wrong I really like both both movies (Night more than Day) but I feel there’s a lot of weaknesses that just get overlooked because it’s Russian and has subtitles. I feel the exact same way about The Host.
@”there is nothing substantial to cling to as Wesley slings verbal diarrhea in voice over, directed at a highly targeted audience; done without any sense of irony or joy”
Done without joy?! Perhaps I can give you the irony bit (but again I must go back to it isn’t aiming for that or to be taken seriously in the SLIGHTEST). But I had one of the best laughs so far this year in the cinema when he hit the guy in the face and the words fuck you were constructed with the keys and the tooth. I found much joy in that, my friend, much joy.
Comment by Ross Miller — July 3, 2008 @ 6:01 am
@primal. The Hitcher can’t have hurt C. Thomas Howell’s Bacon-Score. Connection to Jennifer Jason Leigh who is in massive ensembles like Short Cuts and Fast Times at Ridgemont High and Rutger Hauer in stuff like Merlin and Blade Runner ought to really do some connecting. Ditto on the ’stars’ of Red Dawn.
Comment by Kurt Halfyard — July 3, 2008 @ 6:15 am
@Ross: “Why does there have to be some deep meaning or a brain fully functioning up top? Why can’t everything just be about the visuals and the action? Plenty of movies are about that and they work;”
I disagree. If wanted wants to come play in that sandbox then I think it should have something to say. WallE evoking vintage “The Tramp” Chaplin as well as big ideas Kubrick had better not be using them for simple gags, then it becomes one of those awful ’see if you get the joke’ Date/Teen/Scary Movie type parodies - a point that Jay C. over at Filmjunk actually makes with Wanted, calling it “Action Movie”. While I don’t have that extreme of a view, I do find paying simple lip service to movies that are much better for the sake of elevating your movie, and nothing else (i.e as you say, why does a movie have to have a brain) is cheap and lame. Which the more I talk about Wanted the more I feel. Remember Die Hard, Aliens, The French Connection, Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Abyss, Blade Runner (Even the Matrix and Starship Troopers): Big budget action flicks can and should have a brain. Lets demand more for our entertainment dollars than warmed over ideas with some solid Eye Candy.
Comment by Kurt Halfyard — July 3, 2008 @ 6:21 am
Disagreement right back at you:P I don’t think a big-budget action movie ALWAYS needs to have a brain. I welcome every now and then when you can just sit back and enjoy some great action and fantastic special effects without having to think. I am not saying it ALWAYS should be without a brain but just every so often, and Wanted just happened to catch me at the right time in between other movies.
Comment by Ross Miller — July 3, 2008 @ 6:26 am
“Big budget action flicks can and should have a brain. Lets demand more for our entertainment dollars than warmed over ideas with some solid Eye Candy.”
Now thats fascism!
warmed over ideas with some solid eye candy… sounds like My Blueberry Nights to me
There is no uiniversal rule that needs to be applied, there can be a variety of films from shit to art, and so long as they work within their own universes, there should be no call for conformity. In general terms, sure I agree I would like to see at least SOME more high standard films, films with brains, hence my throwaway opinion about 2008, but Wanted is pretty much what it should be, its dumb from the get go and I don’t think it forgets that.
I entirely disagree with Goon and Jay though that say there is nothing new in this film, the action sequences did amp up what had been done in the Matrix and were on a whole new plain of spectacle. You want boring action sequences, go back to Indy 4. I do not prefer high-stylized action, but I can at least acknowledge when it is done well.
I also agree with Kurt about the main character being annoying, but rather than go on about morality lets just say we did not enjoy the hero. I can agree with that.
Comment by rot — July 3, 2008 @ 7:42 am
Also:
Shooting six apples off a tree in the distance in ‘For a Few Dollars More’, thats ok, but shooting the wings off a fly, well thats ridiculous?
I love the arbitrary threshold…
Comment by rot — July 3, 2008 @ 8:04 am
What can I say, comic book westerns of the 60s appeal to me more than the modern blockbusters….not much other reason that i can think of off the top of my head.
Comment by Kurt Halfyard — July 3, 2008 @ 8:24 am
@Rot “but rather than go on about morality lets just say we did not enjoy the hero. I can agree with that”
Done. And I can also agree that I admired the craft of many of the set-pieces, but without stakes or any kind of interest in the actors/characters/performances resulting in no connection to the film made all the flaws sit more egregiously.
Comment by Kurt Halfyard — July 3, 2008 @ 8:28 am
I think the ‘learn from others mistakes’ was a bit more of something new to wkws work with My Blueberry Nights. Although I’ve not considered that too carefully, or it is not entirely deep either.
But wkw is as much about letting the actors do their thing, and in My Blueberry Nights, they do their thing very, very well.
Comment by Kurt Halfyard — July 3, 2008 @ 8:29 am