Wanted

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Wanted

R

2008

1h 45m

Action

Mystery & Thriller

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Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

71%

Tomatometer

205 Reviews

69%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

Wesley Gibson (James McAvoy) is an office worker whose life is going nowhere. After his estranged father is murdered, he meets Fox (Angelina Jolie), who recruits him into the Fraternity, a secret society of assassins which takes its orders from Fate itself. Fox and Sloan (Morgan Freeman), the Fraternity's leader, teach Wesley to tap into dormant powers. Though he enjoys his newfound abilities, he begins to suspect that there is more to the Fraternity than meets the eye.

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Critics Consensus

Wanted is stylish, energetic popcorn fare with witty performances from Angelina Jolie (playing an expert assassin), James McAvoy, and Morgan Freeman that help to distract from its absurdly over-the-top plot.

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Jim Ridley

Village Voice

07/06/2010

Bekmambetov's movie evaporates pretty quickly after it's consumed.

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Laremy Legel

Film.com

07/06/2010

A-

Wanted is too bloody, too over the top, too silly, and too special effects driven. It's also excessively entertaining and fun.

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Paul Byrnes

Sydney Morning Herald

08/01/2008

2.5/5

Bekmambetov made better films in Russia with far less money and more ideas.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Mar 12

2.5/4

After a while, the movie’s gleeful approach to nihilism proves wearying.

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Nick Rogers

Midwest Film Journal

06/29/2025

3.5/5

"Wanted" barely gives Angelina Jolie anything to do, and yet it's her rare blockbuster to appropriately regard her pull as nigh-inexplicable magic. When Jolie shows up here, the alchemy of the narrative completely changes. You know it. She knows it.

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Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

04/14/2023

There’s no smarts behind it, merely style and spectacle, and Bekmambetov just runs with it. He’s not concerned with making it look real, just with making it look really cool and letting the audience decide if they’re in the mood to play his game.

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Chris S

@Janomi 1d

Wanted is good because it is so aggressively stylized. The curved bullets, slow motion, impossible assassinations, exploding action beats, and comic-book violence give it a completely ridiculous but memorable identity. The movie knows it is absurd and leans all the way into it. James McAvoy works well because Wesley starts as such a miserable, anxious, beaten-down office worker. His transformation into someone dangerous gives the film a strong wish-fulfillment hook, and McAvoy sells the anger and liberation behind it. Angelina Jolie also fits the world perfectly as Fox, bringing cool, deadly, mysterious assassin energy. The movie moves fast, with training scenes, car stunts, assassinations, and the train sequence keeping things slick and chaotic. The story is nonsense, especially the assassin fraternity, magic loom, and destiny plot, but Wanted is fun when treated as pure comic-book insanity.

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Dean F

@DFtheTruth 3d

Wanted is one of the best action movies of all time. The scenes are insane with such unique ideas that just work with this movie. It is over the top in the best way possible and this really cemented the protagonist as a solid actor. Wanted is all you ever wanted in an action film.

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Matthew F

@GroovesMcFly Jul 13

Wanted is a comic book movie with more than one absurd premise. If you are willing to nod and smile at these, the movie is a ton of fun. I enjoyed it and will watch it again.

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Albert W

@CommonSenseAl May 19

Enjoyed it. Something different, fun, and entertaining. Somewhat silly and unrealistic too but don't think too much (it's a movie after all)... just enjoy the ride and the uniqueness of it all.

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Clive T

@DartfordClive Apr 25

Just too over the top. Couldn't make it through to the end.

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Bhargav K

@RT10828613 Mar 26

i like this movie , mainly how the main character life changes or how wants it to change and takes the action , i liked how it questions your life "what are you doing in your life or do u like what you do" honestly , acting was great (mainly james McAvoy) this is the kind of movie that should be watched with brain off , because it is unrealistic stylized fun movie

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Timur Bekmambetov

Director

James McAvoy

Wesley Gibson

Morgan Freeman

Sloan

Angelina Jolie

Fox

Terence Stamp

Pekwarsky

Thomas Kretschmann

Cross

Wanted: Official Clip - Wesley's Rampage

1:53

Wanted: Official Clip - Viper vs. Van

2:21

Wanted: Official Clip - Go F*** Yourself

2:56

Wanted: Official Clip - First Curved Bullet

1:54

Wanted: Official Clip - Curving Bullets on a Train

3:00

Wanted: Official Clip - Everything They Told You Was a Lie

3:00

Wanted: Official Clip - Grocery Store Shootout

2:28

Wanted: Official Clip - Cross Kills Mr. X

2:59

Wanted: Official Clip - Wesley Fulfills His Destiny

1:34

Wanted: Official Clip - Viper Ride

2:25

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Synopsis

Wesley Gibson (James McAvoy) is an office worker whose life is going nowhere. After his estranged father is murdered, he meets Fox (Angelina Jolie), who recruits him into the Fraternity, a secret society of assassins which takes its orders from Fate itself. Fox and Sloan (Morgan Freeman), the Fraternity's leader, teach Wesley to tap into dormant powers. Though he enjoys his newfound abilities, he begins to suspect that there is more to the Fraternity than meets the eye.

Director: Timur Bekmambetov
Producer: Marc Platt, Jim Lemley, Jason Netter, Iain Smith
Screenwriter: Michael Brandt, Derek Haas, Chris Morgan
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Production Co: Stillking Films, Marc Platt Productions, Universal Pictures
Rating: R (Some Sexuality|Pervasive Language|Strong Bloody Violence)
Genre: Action, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 27, 2008, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 15, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA): $134.3M
Runtime: 1h 45m