Hamlet 2

The House Bunny

Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Elegy

Bottle Shock

Pineapple Express

Step Brothers

Brideshead Revisited

Tropic Thunder

The Dark Knight

Hellboy II: The Golden Army

Hancock

Russian director Timur Bekmambetov (Day Watch) works overtime to keep anyone from dozing off while seeing his new flick Wanted. In this too-much-is-never-enough fantasy action thriller based (loosely) on Mark Millar's hyperkinetic, ultraviolent graphic novel series, every sound gets amped up to jackhammer level, everything's done in smash close-up and every actor plays things full-throttle. Happily, those actors are extremely watchable people like James McAvoy, who gives a dignified humanity to his role as a self-loathing office drone taught to unleash his inner assassin; Angelina Jolie, the foxiest of a secret society of killers trying to bring order to a world gone mad; and Morgan Freeman as Jolie's fearless leader who's mostly around to bend bullets in mid-air and to tell McAvoy, whose slain father was the society's deadliest killer: "Trust your instincts."

With its breakneck car chases, bendable machine gun, bullets that shoot around corners and intentionally hip/camp dialogue, Wanted owes plenty to The Matrix, Fight Club, Star Wars, Shoot 'Em Up and a slew of superhero movies. But it also revels in its own over-the-top absurdity. It feels like the bastard child of John Woo and Michael Bay cranked up on massive steroids and a Red Bull chaser. Jolie looks sensational and, temporarily freed from the burden of having to prove she can Really Act, she's more charismatic than ever playing crazy, sexy and dangerous in a world of flipped-over sports cars, speeding trains and violence that comes out of nowhere. McAvoy, a long, long way from Atonement, is also terrific in his star-powered take on the nebbish turned serious bad boy.

Unlike Millar's darker, grittier source material, this stylish, revved-up, stunt-a-minute movie only wants to slam you around for a while and give you a good time as it puts a wild spin on the old hero's journey gambit. Wanted may only be skin-deep, but it's a blast. Just try wiping that silly grin off your face while you're watching it.

by Stephen Rebello

photos: Top: Chuck Hodes; Bottom: Bazelevs/Universal Pictures. ©2008 Universal Studios. All rights reserved.