Want It

Whilst Eastern European movement and flair sets Euro 2008 alight, Russian filmmaker Timur Bekmambetov (previously of dark homegrown fantasies Night Watch and Day Watch) is pretty much doing the same for cinema.

His first American movie, a relentlessly thrilling interpretation of the comic book series Wanted, features protagonists whose pulses can race to 400 beats per minute.

After seeing what miraculous stunts James McAvoy and Angelina Jolie can pull with cars, trains and bullets, you'll feel similarly pumped.

The journey of Wesley Gibson (McAvoy) from downtrodden accountant to dexterous assassin begins with the icy introduction of a rather gaunt Jolie, curving bullets around shelves in a convenience store and continuing to shoot lead backwards hanging off a speeding car. As she drives with her feet.

Turns out that daredevil Angelina is the member of an ancient clan of killers called The Fraternity, who eliminate selective targets chosen by fate. Well, by Morgan Freeman and weaving patterns.

Wesley's recently assassinated dad was one of them and it transpires that his son's crippling 'anxiety attacks' are adrenaline overloads. These can be harnessed – via brutal training that would make SAS newbies cry – and incorporated in ways that look bloody great in movie trailers.

It's a daft plot that works thanks mainly to McAvoy. Yes, Jolie and Freeman are typically cool and persuasive, but it's the versatile, engaging Brit star (with decent US accent) who works the hardest

Few actors could pull of the transformation from wimp to warrior with as much crowd-pleasing conviction. The sleight yet imposing McAvoy, who looks ace with a gun, takes the Hollywood bull by the horns with the confidence of a Spanish toreador. He should be bombarded with American offers after this.

The same could be said of Bekmambetov, who does a phenomenal job of making every pulsating sequence feel unique, inventive, amusing and a world away from anything that's been seen recently.