Wanted

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Wanted

R

2008

1h 45m

Action

Mystery & Thriller

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Watchlist

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

Jul 6, 2010

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

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Laremy Legel

Film.com

Jul 6, 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

Aug 1, 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, 2026

2.5/4

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

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Nick Rogers

Midwest Film Journal

Jun 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

Apr 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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Hayden H

@RT01653470 Oct 2, 2026

Think the Matrix - without the substance, but with the style remaining.

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Batbayar .

@RT80475317 Sep 1, 2026

First, Sloan knew his name on it. So He is running from death. It causes so many deaths makes. Etc: Car accidents, Training disaster, Assassins deaths. Fate is fr. Kinda makes sense.

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Chris S

@Janomi Jul 28, 2026

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 Jul 25, 2026

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, 2026

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, 2026

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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Timur Bekmambetov

Director

James McAvoy

Wesley Gibson

Morgan Freeman

Sloan

Angelina Jolie

Fox

Terence Stamp

Pekwarsky

Thomas Kretschmann

Cross

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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

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