MANILA, Philippines -- I like movies with mindless amounts of shooting. Remember "Shoot 'Em Up" with Clive Owen and Monica Bellucci? That's one. How about the Bourne series? Or yeah, don't forget "Underworld" where vampires shoot werewolves with silver bullets. There's a certain kind of satisfaction from watching people shoot each other. It becomes even more satisfying if the shooting itself is artfully done, and you add a dash of mythology, like say, "curving the bullet."

This writer has tried to keep spoilers to a minimum in this review, but stop reading if you don't want anything spoiled for you.

"Curving the bullet" means making a bullet hit a target not in a straight line. That's not possible, right? Not for a fictional group of assassins calling themselves The Fraternity. The group and its newest recruit Wesley Gibson are the central theme of the latest gunslinging flick "Wanted."

"Wanted" is based on the series written by award-winning comic book writer Mark Millar (who had a hand in recent Marvel Comics material such as The Ultimates and Civil War).

The movie starts off with the voice-over narrative of Gibson (James McAvoy) who, as the cliché goes, is living the life of a corporate slave. That is until he figures in a grocery gunfight between the femme fatale Fox (Angelina Jolie) and the mysterious Cross (Thomas Kretschmann).

Gibson is hired and trained by Fox's employer, Sloan (Morgan Freeman), as a member of The Fraternity. He faces his father's killer but comes to realize that The Fraternity has tricked him into hunting his real father -- Cross. It is here that he goes on a warpath against the other Fraternity assassins, crashing into their hideout and killing basically everyone.

The Fraternity doesn't sound too original, if you consider the fact that they're only a bunch of assassins. Then you'll find out that the comic book group they're based on is more powerful and influential, which gives them a more sinister image. However, the movie Fraternity is less than sinister and is more like a group of acrobatic thugs. Their trademark killing trick is "curving the bullet" -- the movement of the gun-totting arm is similar to a top spin move of a table tennis player. The bullet goes on a straight line but makes a weird and impossible curve to avoid an obstacle. While this is a novelty gun trick, it's not an important element. It just adds a bit of flavor to an otherwise run-in-the-mill gunfight movie.

The movie is comparable to the 2002 film "Equilibrium" where the gun-wielders are skilled in the fictional "gun kata." In fact, one of the scenes in "Wanted" is reminiscent of this fighting style. "Wanted" is not entirely new or original, nor is the story a big standout.

However, people familiar with director Timur Bekmambetov will find some similar movie making styles from his most successful films, "Night Watch" and "Day Watch" (the leaping car chases, the impossible jumps, the superhuman speed). The cinematography and special effects are truly amazing. Incidentally, Jolie has a familiar Lara Croft character residing in her while she plays Fox while Freeman is still as eloquent and enigmatic as ever no matter the movie.

It seems the film is more closely associated with Bekmambetov than Millar's comic book. But hey, if you're just after the gunfights and not the story, sit back, relax and enjoy the ride.