Wanted? Maybe, maybe not.

"Kill one, and maybe save 1000. That's what we believe, and that's why we do it."

If you don't live under a rock, or have a severe allergy to all forms of media, you probably recognize that line. Only, they don't say "maybe" in the previews - probably because when you add the "maybe" there is more moral gray area. It's from the movie Wanted, and it's the guiding principle of the Fraternity of Assassins. I saw the movie last night and it got me thinking about some things. Oh, and this isn't a review, but there may be spoilers. You've been warned.

Very short synopsis ahead. Wesley is a loser - an anxiety-ridden, cuckolded account manager at some nameless corporation. One night at the store, he encounters Fox (Angelina, looking luscious yet somewhat expressionless), and mayhem ensues. Skipping right along, Wesley learns he has these gifts that, if trained, can make him a very effective assassin. Training montage, small bits of plot, lovingly filmed violence, bendy bullet trajectories, fin.

What got me thinking was this: This poor, sad sack was aching for a new, more meaningful existence. It didn't matter that said existence could only be achieved through many training montages and intricately carved bullets. I'll admit that I've had the odd fantasy or two about being pushed out of my life into another. This other life may be scary and throw me for a loop, but I'd rally and embrace my shiny new meaning. Then I think about what I'd have to leave behind and I wonder if being swept away is really what I want.

See, in these fantasies, I'm either an entirely different person or only one aspect of my life changes. This allows me to indulge in the idea of being some sort of world-saver superhero type without leaving my friends and family behind. While I am an independent creature, I do enjoy the occasional bout of human interaction. I find I have the same kind of problem when I'm fantasizing about, well, sex. I've been known to be attracted to the odd celebrity/personality/musician now and again. Once I discover that said celeb isn't available, I stop thinking about anything. For some reason, I can't simply erase my competition. I have to come up with some bizarre and convoluted reason why the fantasy object is single. If kids are involved, well you can just forget it then.

At the end of the movie, Wesley asks us, "What the fuck have you done with your life?" I think I can say, with all honesty, I'm OK with not having killed people, or fallen into a gorge, or made out with Angelina Jolie. OK, that last part is probably a bit of a lie. Who doesn't want to make out with Angelina? Also, I would love to be able to curve the path of my bullet, but I don't want to get banned from my shooting range attempting it.