Released: 2017
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Boyd Holbrook, Stephen Merchant, Richard E. Grant, Dafne Keen
Directed by: James Mangold
Distributed by: 20th Century Fox
“One Last Time.”
What do we think of when we say anti-hero? The mind wouldn’t be hard pressed for characters embodied by the label. The classic Man With No Name from Sergio Leone’s spaghetti westerns, Clint Eastwood’s hard-assed squinting bounty hunter out for himself but saves the day anyway, or maybe Mel Gibson in Mad Max the quite and tormented road warrior wandering the wastes. These guys still remain heroic and are still fun to watch, but are they really an anti-hero? They do what they do for their own benefit, they are the result of the unforeseen consequence of the environment they inhabit, but deep down they are good people.
What would happen if they weren’t such good people? What if their actions throughout life had left them so disenfranchised with the idea of any kind of heroics that the “hero” is gone and only the person is left? People are harder to write and bring to life on screen. People have lots of issues by the time they’re in their thirties and those issues continue to grow. Issues can become problems. Like the root of a tree, they grow deeper inside a person ultimately changing who they are. It is a natural byproduct of life. For Logan (Hugh Jackman; The Prestige, Les Misérables) he has had centuries to develop these problems and let them become deeper rooted and cancerous. These problems developed into alcoholism and self-loathing. The hero that was is gone, left somewhere with the rest of the X-men who are gone too. All that remains in this last chapter in the life of Logan, are two old men, and a girl called Laura.
The film’s opening really sets the tone for the rest of the film, and it raises the questions you’re going to be asking throughout. Most of us (myself included) expected an old grizzled wolverine tearing bad guys to shreds and screaming while he does it. But after the films opening you can safely put that expectation away.
Logan is drunk, falling around outside a limo getting beaten by local gang members. To see Logan like this is shocking and heartbreaking. He looks pathetic even as he pops his claws and cuts the gang members apart. There is a shocking level of violence that just feels sort of wrong as if something is missing.
The story unfolds as a very reluctant Logan is caring for Professor X now simply known as Charles (Patrick Stewart; Star Trek: First Contact, Dune), who suffers from seizures along with signs of dementia. Logan opens a door into a large metal dome-like room to reveal Charles going in circles talking nonsense in his wheelchair before getting his medicine that Logan struggles to find and pay for. After Charles comes back to himself we see a melancholic sadness in his eyes, a look on his face that everything they worked toward is gone, completely ruined, and this is what’s left. Every time Charles and Logan have a moment like this both actors display something unsaid; a deep regret and hatred for one another. It is an amazing performance by both actors that I can’t compliment enough, to the point I may even believe this might be the most unique and personal performance of their careers. There are long forlorn shots of Logan drinking, popping pills, writhing in pain as he looks at his reflection in a mirror and tries to pull out one of his claws which has become stuck. Infection has set into wounds he received earlier, a pale comparison of the Wolverine that would shrug off bullet wounds and keep fighting. This iteration of the character almost keels over from blood loss. Logan is old and dying.
Soon the plot gains traction as Logan meets with a nurse who is harbouring a young child named Laura (Dafne Keen). She ends up stowing away in Logan’s trunk shortly before a group of thugs arrive searching for Laura and harass Logan and Caliban (Stephen Merchant; Hot Fuzz; Gnomeo and Juliet). Eventually, she makes herself known and displays vicious abilities similar to Logan’s.
The relationship between the two is very complicated and is equally beautiful and hard to watch. Logan is so frustrated and conflicted with this child, she sees him as the hero Wolverine, but Logan insists none of it was true. None of the stories are anywhere close to fact, but Laura wants to believe that there are still heroes. Logan does feel some kind of paternity toward the girl. Seeing her as a mirror of his own life, but at the same, time he does not want this trouble due to his commitments to Charles who encourages the girl to believe and to hope. The dynamics between all the characters lead back to a theme of nature versus nurture which runs through the entirety of the script.
Eventually, the three central characters set out on a road trip to Canada in search of some kind of sanctuary. This odyssey is the second act of the film and takes the largest amount of screen time. I don’t want to delve further into the plot to avoid spoilers, but I would like to say that throughout the three acts each of the characters grow in a rich and believable way.
The film isn’t flawless, however. The soundtrack, in particular, doesn’t have a metamorphosis that it should as the environments and characters change. The central musical theme is suited to the first section of the film, but as it goes on it becomes jaded with use. Also, the second act lacks the events and character action that occur in the first and third act, but the majority of the growth of the characters are done here culminating in the final act, so it can be forgiven.
One teetering issue I had while viewing, totally immersed in the film, was a certain action scene toward the end of the film. While good and passable, it was an anti-climax for what it should of been (you will know it when you see it) and should have been given more time and choreography as it is a pivotal moment in the film along with being the fan service which we wanted to see.
During my first viewing, I didn’t feel this film at all. It was so heavy and weighed on the heart of everything and ultimately felt like “Remember all those other films? Well, they’re meaningless now,” which was a slap in the face. On a repeated viewing, its weight of events and melancholy is easier to digest.
Minor complaints aside, this film is fantastic. It set the standard for comic book films along with a direct answer to the anti-hero and comic book genre. The center of the film is the relationship between the cast and how it changes constantly. A familiarity is immediate if you were ever a fan of the X-men films or comic books. This raises the feeling of family, of knowing these characters as well as you know yourself, and the shocking realization of what happens when these people have nothing left. They weren’t the heroes you thought they were.
James Mangold the director of the film had wanted to make the grizzly violent Wolverine film long ago, but X-men Origins: Wolverine had to be PG-13 and The Wolverine ended up with a similar problem. After finally getting the freedom to make the film he wanted, his true abilities shine through.
The cinematography is good, but is lacking in the action scenes while the more subdued scenes look like they were straight out of a comic book panel. The latter adds to the overall feel of the film, carrying emotion from scene to scene. Unfortunately, the quality is not the same with the more action orientated shots.
At the heart of this film is a subjective look at the hero, not superhero, genre. What makes a hero? Why was Wolverine a hero in the first place? He was primarily an ass at the best of times and a tragic Frankensteinesque sadistic monster at the worst. Well, this film develops these ideas to their natural conclusion.
Praise has to be given to the dynamics between Logan and Laura for having the most realistic, reactionary arguments and scenes of grief ever seen on film in my opinion. The frustrating arguments you have with children who believe and hope for their dreamland. At some point, you must break that magic and introduce them to reality. Seeing this conflict partake in Logan’s head, shown primarily through his facial expressions, is heartbreaking. All the while, he inadvertently passes on the message of hate and violence instead of hope and peace, signifying in itself the link between the character and the theme of the film.
James Mangold deserves the applause he got for this film. Not just for the film as a whole, but for sticking to the subtextual themes gliding throughout the script. The Batman vs Superman film or even The Dark Knight Rises shows that navigating these themes can be a mess if not done with deft hands.
All in all, my final thoughts on this film are mixed. While it is an amazing film addition to the genre with very adult themes and treated as such, there is that feeling that the film is a bit too grim and the small attempts at lightening the mood barely get a giggle out of me. This leaves what is left of the film very depressing, but that doesn’t necessarily take away from it. It is a story that needed to be told. The themes and script, which was written with a compassion for the art, don’t have time for too much levity when dealing with the subject matter. If you’re sensitive to violence and emotional drama, give this a pass and pick up something like Hellboy if you’re ok with the violence but like the lighthearted tone of superheroes, then check out Deadpool.
Rating:
Thomas C:
A masterpiece with niggling flaws that are easy to ignore. A side note, if you crave the absolute definitive way to view logan, pick up the Blu-ray and watch Logan Noir. A stark, monochrome edit that is not only beautiful to look at as a homage to the westerns that Logan makes significant nods too, but also the early film noir genre movies. Without either, this film wouldn’t be possible. Watching Logan in black and white gives the same thrilling feeling of watching Yojimbo or True Grit.
Jack Savage:
What a fantastic swan song for both a character and the actor playing him. In his “last” portrayal of Logan, Hugh Jackman gives everything in his performance. This is not your typical superhero film. Yes, there is a good deal of action (and a lot of blood), but the drama is where the spotlight falls. There is one thing that keeps this from five popcorn from me, but I can’t talk about it without spoiling part of the movie. However, if you haven’t seen Logan yet, see it. If you have seen it, you know you can watch it again.
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