Wanted

Right now you can watch Wanted in Australia on BINGE and Paramount Plus, and in the UK on Amazon Prime Video — and it earns its twists rather than manufacturing them. It knows exactly what kind of film it is from the opening scene, and never loses that thread. A 7/10 rating says what the writing already makes obvious: this one works. James McAvoy sets the tone, and the ensemble matches it scene for scene. Start it on BINGE whenever you need something guaranteed to land.

Part of the current wave of titles people are actually watching, Wanted earns its spot. The plotting gives Wanted its backbone, but it is the characters you come back for. Doormat Wesley Gibson is an office worker whose life is going nowhere. He meets an attractive woman named Fox and discovers that his recently murdered father - whom Wesley never knew - belonged to the Fraternity, a secret society of assassins which takes its orders from Fate itself. Fox and Sloan, the Fraternity's leader, teach Wesley, through intense training, to tap into dormant powers and hone his innate killing skills. Credit to James McAvoy and Angelina Jolie for grounding it — this is a cast that earns the twists. It was released in 2008. Wanted is at its best in the quiet scenes between the plot beats, where the character work actually happens. There is real craft here, even in the moments that do not fully land.

If you cannot walk away from a good mystery, Wanted will keep you hooked. It does not lean on comparisons to make its case. It is a manageable watch, easy to fit into a single evening. James McAvoy anchors it, but the writing does the real work. If you are going to commit to one crime drama this month, make it this one.