If ‘Logan’ is the last Wolverine movie, this is Hugh Jackman’s perfect swan song. Without a doubt, it is one of the best performances of his career. Why is it such a good send-off? The shackles of a traditional superhero movie have been removed. It feels more like a dark and gritty neo-Western. Writer-director James Mangold gets plenty of inspiration from the classic ‘Shane’ as well as the post-apocalyptic adventure ‘Mad Max.’ This is the Wolverine movie that fans have been waiting for. It’s a far cry from the foul-mouthed ‘Deadpool.’ This is escapist entertainment at its finest. ‘Logan’ delivers the right mixture of gritty action sequences and touching moments to make it an unforgettable final bow.
Set in 2029, most mutants are extinct. Logan (Jackman) splits his time as a limo driver and taking care of his old mentor, Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart). With the help of albino Caliban (Stephen Merchant), they keep Xavier hidden away in Mexico. The professor’s deteriorating mental condition has made his mind a weapon of mass destruction. Logan drowns his sorrows in alcohol. Evidently he is ill from the adamantium super-metal that has made him a lethal weapon for so many years. There is a telling opening scene when some gangbangers try to steal the wheels from his limo. The first thing you notice is that he is less agile but nonetheless he can still slice and dice his attackers. The fight scenes are bloodier and more gruesome than previous films. His razor-sharp claws go through human skulls like hamburger meat. It should be noted that ‘Logan’ is R-rated due to the graphic violence.
The film really gets going when the little girl is introduced into the story. It’s a straightforward tale. It turns out that a pharmaceutical company has joined the military in experimenting with children in order to form a group of mutant soldiers. When the defiant children escape the laboratory, a Mexican woman seeks out the help of Logan to take Laura (Dafne Keen) to a safe haven somewhere across the Canadian border. At first, our reluctant hero wants nothing to do with protecting the young girl. He knows that people always get hurt when he gets involved. When Xavier meets the girl, he has some of the funniest lines in the movie. He tells Logan, “She’s like you, very much like you.” He doesn’t believe it until a group of paramilitary soldiers led by a baddie named Pierce (Boyd Holbrook) try to abduct her. It’s an incredible fight scene as Laura becomes a rage-fueled killing machine with claws just like Logan’s.
The film becomes a long chase scene where Logan and Laura develop a father/daughter relationship. When they hide out at a casino hotel, Xavier and Laura watch the Western ‘Shane’ on television. It’s an obvious homage to the classic as Logan gets a showdown of his own later in the film. It’s the darkness within the character that sets it apart from other superhero movies. Rather than trying to save the world, he is trying to save the young girl that will ultimately redeem him. It’s a clever screenplay written by Mangold (Walk the Line), Scott Frank (Minority Report) and Michael Green (Green Lantern). Audiences weaned on CGI comic book movies will be in for a shocker. The violence is not sugarcoated. The father/daughter duo slashes through villains like nobody’s business. The action sequences are intensely heart pounding.
Beyond the first-rate script and action sequences, it is the stellar performances that make ‘Logan’ so good. Stewart gets to do some fine work as the frail Professor Xavier. The real emotional payoff is the chemistry between Jackman and Keen. He gets to play the mentor and protector of the little orphan. It’s an incredible film debut for the young actress. With minimal dialogue, she holds your attention with a cold stare. Without being cloying, she bonds with our hero. She’s a real chip off the old block. It’s funny to watch him correct her but deep down he’s saying, “Attagirl!” ‘Logan’ deconstructs the superhero movie making it a final journey worth taking.
