On Friday, ‘Wanted’ opened and I must tell you I was impressed with this movie. It has been a long time since I wanted to stand up and cheer during a movie. This show had me caught up in its unrelenting pace and breathtaking action sequences. I let it take me away and just enjoyed the ride.

Of course, I had to suspend a lot of belief as well, no matter how special these assassins are, there really is no way to make the path of a bullet curve… but once you get past that and immerse yourself in the ‘universe’ that the writer has created it’s a complete thrill.

The story centers around a boring and ‘insignificant’ man who is taken advantage of by everyone. His girlfriend cheats on him, his boss picks on him, basically he’s a doormat. He’s filling a prescription for depression of all things when beautiful Angelina Jolie shows up and ‘saves his life’ from a mysterious killer.

Once he’s ‘safe’, she tries to convince him he’s an assassin with ‘special talents’ and he’s of course less than accepting of her revelations. Frightening events do begin to happen and finally make him believe that he is the ‘one’ they have been looking for and he joins the fraternity of assassins.

The action sequences in this movie are over the top, especially the train episode at the movie’s climax. But that doesn’t make them unenjoyable, if anything, it adds to the comic book experience. If you don’t enjoy a bit of bloodshed, skip this flick. The violence is gratuitous- the movie is about a bunch of assassins- but is more about ambiance than splattered gore, though there is plenty of that too.

There are at least three ‘twists’ in the movie, they leave you wondering if you really know what’s real and what’s another lie. Paranoia and fear abound, and leave the audience unsure of who to trust, keeping us in the mindset of our hero who remains quite sympathetic throughout despite becoming a cold blooded killer.

I enjoyed watching the ‘adorable’ James McEvoy change from a ‘doormat’ complete with panicked eyes and a blank stare of apathy into a steely eyed killer with a conscience. His face became that of a different man, more attractive and with a purpose, his posture and gait more self-assured. I was also impressed with his ability to lose his Scottish accent and sound like a Midwestern American.

My favorite scenes were when our newly confident hero comes back to confront his cheating girlfriend, boss and best friend. All of these characters deserve their comeuppance and it’s satisfying to watch McEvoy give it to them in spades.

So, in summary, leave your thinking mind at home when you go to see this show. Enjoy it for what it is, a living, breathing comic book with little basis in reality. It’s escapism at its best, and isn’t that why we go to summer movies in the first place?