Wanted

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Starring: Angelina Jolie, James McAvoy, Morgan Freeman, Terence Stamp, Common

Directed by: Timur Bekmambetov
(Universal Pictures, June 27, 2008)

The Plot: An office drone with a dull life (McAvoy) discovers that not only has his estranged father been murdered, but that he was a member of an underground organization of assassins. Now "The Fraternity" is looking to recruit and train him to follow in his father's footsteps.

The Pros: Russian director Bekmambetov (Night Watch, Day Watch) has undeniable flair, and this is a story that screams for heavy amounts of it. The cast is nothing to sniff at, either. The last time Jolie played an assassin, she scored a hit (and a new beau).

The Cons: Although based on a graphic novel, the story has been modified significantly ("The Fraternity" aren't justice-seeking assassins in the comic, they are actually supervillains who have beaten and driven to extinction all of the world's superheroes and now pursue violence for their own selfish ends). Will toning down the comic-bookness and taking on a moral code make it all seem kind of familiar (Reservoir Fight Club?)

Cheat Sheet: In Mark Millar and J.G. Jones's graphic novel, the character of Fox (played in the film by Angelina Jolie) was drawn to resemble actress Halle Berry, sparking rumors that she would be cast in the role. The film has a ton of comic book connections: Morgan Freeman also starred as Lucius Fox in Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins and will return for The Dark Knight, Terence Stamp starred as the villain Zod in Superman II, and Danny Elfman has been tapped to write the Wanted score, having previously scored Tm Burton's Batman films, the first two Spider-Man movies, and Ang Lee's Hulk. After Wanted, Bekmambetov plans on finishing his horror/fantasy trilogy with the follow-up film to Night Watch and Day Watch, to be called either Dusk Watch or Twilight Watch. This marks Bekmambetov's first English-language film.