Logan is simple proof of just how much good an R-rating can do for a film. Because haven’t we all dreamt of how great it would be to watch Wolverine REALLY use his claws? In James Mangold’s Logan, Hugh Jackman’s much older Wolverine, who despite saying he’s left behind the world of violence, leaves a body count higher than all of his previous movies combined. He also swears a lot, has an alcohol problem, and is consumed by rage and bitterness.
But the real win for this movie is not that it is a superlative action film, but that it also manages to strike right through the heart of what it means to be Wolverine, with an emotional range that usually evades a wham-bam superhero film.
Mangfold removes the X-Men world from its sleek squeaky clean surroundings, and takes it to the far and dusty reaches of the isolated American West. The year is 2029: All the mutants are presumed dead, except three: Wolverine, Patrick Stewart’s Charles Xavier (even older than before and dangerously unhinged because of a degenerative brain disease) and the mutant-tracker Caliban (played wonderfully by English actor Stephen Merchant), who are hiding in across the border in the desert in Mexico.
Wolverine is now a limousine driver who is trying to make ends meet so he can care for Xavier. They dream of being able to afford a boat, so they can live out the rest of their remaining days on the ocean, away from prying eyes and the still quite nosy and nefarious government, intent on eliminating what is left of mutants.
But denting his plans is Laura (Dafne Keen), a young mutant who is suddenly thrust into his care, forcing him and Xavier to go on the run. What follows is a thrilling cat-and-mouse chase, littered with casualties and heartbreaks in equal measure.
Keen as X-23, a mutant created from Wolverine’s own DNA, is more than amazing. While she has Wolverine’s gifts (one extra if you count the toe claw), she’s deadlier because she’s even more feral and out of control. She takes bullets like mosquito bites, decapitates mercenaries five times her size and doesn’t take a breather before she sets out to battle an entire army task force by herself.
While we’ve seen Wolverine turn mentor to previous characters (think Rogue, Jubilee), this time he’s not just unwilling, he might also be less capable of being protector. (“Every time I care for someone, they tend to get hurt,” Wolverine tells the girl at one point, gesturing to the two of them. “Then I have nothing to worry about,” she retorts, slamming the door behind her.) This is hands down Jackman’s best performance in any movie ever, leave alone the X-Men films. As the older Logan, Jackman takes turn being the superhro and the caregiver (to both Xavier and Laura).
But Jackman is not the only character to have benefitted from Mangfold’s re-telling. Staurt as the ailing Xavier, freed by the R-rating, is marvellous to watch: His more lucid moments are filled with compassion and a nostalgia for better times, and when he loses control, we are treated to Stewart in all his rabid glory.
At a time when DC and Marvel are funnelling all their money into larger-than-life superhero capers with countless instalments, Mangold very firmly turns Logan into the lone wolf that it deserves to be. There are no cameos, no hints at previous films, no mention of other characters, giving Mangold the space to make this movie his own.
In the film, time decidedly slows down, allowing viewers and Jackman to savour the clawed hero’s journey and understand more deeply his psychological and personal motivations. He’s still the Wolverine we knew from previous films, sure. He runs away from emotional attachments, he’s not great at taking orders and he still doesn’t care too much for running with the pack.
But by making him less than invincible, there are new levels of vulnerability and humanity introduced to the character: the ronin who won’t swing his blade in vain anymore, an animal tamed, and a hero finally looking for rest. A fitting farewell to a beloved character.
