I was initially skeptical of this film, not just because the comic book was kinda my guilty pleasure. The comic book wasn't very well-written, being typical Mark Millar overblown in-your-face nonsense, but I did like the fresh perspective of an origin story of a supervillain, particularly one who was just a down-in-his-luck bum not that different from myself today. When I heard they took out the only remotely interesting thing from that already low quality rag, I was naturally disinterested, especially when the trailer seemed like just another generic assassin thriller without any special flavors. Of course, Bekmambetov would prove me wrong, particularly screenwriter Chris Morgan who revised my favorite part of the film - the third act. Well, okay, my favorite part was the final five minutes that embraced the spirit of the comic book more than any other scenes, but that's an irrelevant point.
While most parts of the film are kinda run-of-the-mill assassin formula, I think that's missing the big picture of the story, where a subservient guy enslaved by mundanity is forced to take control over his life for the first time. His motivation does get a little contrived when he suddenly declares his newfound purpose to avenge a father whom he never saw since he was a baby. Furthermore, the training sessions did drag the film's pace down a little bit, taking longer to make the film's point than it is necessary. But aside from those points, there lies a nice coming of age story about a man coming into his own. Angelina Jolie provides enough nuance in her performance to give Fox a contrasting personality from Wesley (James McAvoy); Fox relinquishes to her fate, while Wesley seizes his destiny. The fact that Wesley breaks the fourth wall at the end, asking the audience what the f*** we've been doing with our lives was both amusing and thought-provoking.
The action overall isn't too bad, though I liked it more in the first act than the rest of the movie, particularly the scene where Fox first picks Wesley up in her car by 'curving' the vehicle. It had a very intense and adrenaline-fueled pace that I wish had permeated the rest of the film, given that it's about assassins with adrenaline powers. Most of the 'curving' stunts used in the film left me gasping as they were very impressive, including the one where Wesley curves his car 180 degrees over another car beneath him, assassinating his target in the process.
★★★★