Wanted (2008)
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A man discovers his father was a member of a secret society of assassins and must learn to use his unique abilities to survive their pursuit.
The story
In Chicago, Wesley Allan Gibson leads a mundane life plagued by panic attacks and a failing relationship. His world is upended when a woman named Fox reveals that his recently deceased father was an assassin and that a man named Cross is hunting him. After a chaotic encounter, Wesley is taken to a secret facility where he learns that his panic attacks grant him superhuman abilities. He is recruited into the Fraternity, a secret society of assassins that maintains balance in the world. Under their tutelage, Wesley must learn to control his powers and master his skills to face the threat posed by Cross.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After being recruited by the Fraternity, Wesley trains to control his adrenaline-fueled abilities. He learns about the 'Loom of Fate,' which identifies individuals who will cause chaos. During a mission, Wesley faces Cross and discovers that Cross is his biological father who went rogue to protect him. Following a series of betrayals and a deadly confrontation on a train, Wesley realizes the Fraternity's leader, Mr. Sloan, has been manipulating the Loom for profit. Wesley eventually infiltrates the Fraternity's headquarters, where he faces off against Fox and other assassins. After a final confrontation where the others choose to follow the Loom's code, Wesley eventually eliminates Sloan from a distance, reclaiming his freedom.
- First release year
- 2008
- Runtime (minutes)
- 110
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Timur Bekmambetov
- Writers
- Michael Brandt · screenplay; Derek Haas · screenplay; Chris Morgan · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- James McAvoy · Wesley Allan Gibson; Angelina Jolie · Fox; Morgan Freeman · Mr. Sloan; Terence Stamp · Pekwarsky; Thomas Kretschmann · Cross Gibson; Common · Earl Malcolm Spellman / The Gunsmith; Konstantin Khabensky · The Exterminator; Marc Warren · The Repairman
- Genres
- action; thriller
- Themes
- predestination; identity
- Tone and mood
- stylized; fast-paced
- Premise and plot tags
- secret society; assassins; superhuman abilities
- Source material / true-story basis
- 2003–05 comic book miniseries by Mark Millar and J. G. Jones
- Franchise connections
- Wanted
- Content notes
- violence
- Reception
- The film received positive reviews, praised for its fast-paced narrative and stylized action sequences, though some critics noted its over-the-top plot and deviation from the source material.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 71% · scale: percentage · review count: 205; Metacritic · score: 64 · scale: 100 · review count: 38
- Production trivia
- The film was released in a specially localized version in Russia.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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