Logan (Hugh Jackman), AKA the Wolverine, is washed up and an alcoholic. He makes a meagre living driving a limousine, using the money to save up for a day when he and the aged Professor X (Patrick Stewart) and he could purchase a boat and live on the ocean. Charle Xavier is in rough shape, no longer a master of his mind, but deteriorating due to age. The X-Men are long gone, and all that remains are Wolverine, Professor X, and Caliban (Stephan Merchant), a mutant who helps tend to Xavier and whose power is being able to track down other mutants.
It is a far fall from what we have seen before. It is a more tender and desperate side of Wolverine, as he is staring down his own aging and having a harder time recovering from the wounds that in his youth were overcome by his ability to heal himself. It is also a more profane Wolverine, as the film sits tightly in its R-rating. His passion for helping people and fight for justice are gone. Now it is just a simple mission to take care of the decrepit mentor from his younger days.
Of course, it wouldn't be much of a movie if there wasn't any story line past that. Through circumstances, the three remaining mutants find themselves having to help out a little girl as she is chased by a clandestine group of armed and relentless fighters. The girl, Laura (Dafne Keen) is being hunted because she used to be part of a project to grow people with mutant powers to turn them into soldiers. To survive, she must make it to Canada where her freedom, and freedom for those like her, exists.
Director James Mangold focuses mostly on the character of Logan, and not worrying about making him the shining example of justice and truth that people who generally follow super heroes pray for. Mangold shows us someone who is selfish, self destructive, and uncaring for anyone other than Professor X. He is not the typical type of hero, and that is what makes this movie special. It is more of a character study, as Logan must come to terms as to what is best for people other than himself.
This is not to say that there are no action sequences in this film. There sure are, but they are measured and used sparingly. When they happen, they are shot with a steady hand with with great choreography. The limited use of action makes the hype for the sequences that we do get more anticipated. We see Wolverine as he truly is, a beast that viciously rips his opponents apart, something that is difficult to do with a PG-13 rating.
The central premise of the film is what would you do, with your limited abilities (because his advanced age has made his abilities limited), to assist someone else for no other reason than for doing what is right. When would you help out a stranger if that meant that all you had been working for and hoping for was put in jeopardy?
What stands out most about Logan is the fact that it deals with the mortality of the titular character. This is someone who is no longer invincible, and has to rely more on his character than on what had once made him great. This is the type of story that I love. It was present in Iron Man 3 when Tony Stark was without his suit and had to decide if he could still be a hero without it. It was what made The Dark Knight so emotionally powerful. When the heroes become mortals and have to make the same choices that the rest of us would have to make.
Did I mention that the action was used sparingly? This was evident when there was twenty five minutes left in the film and I wasn't stranded in the chaotic 'final battle' that pretty much all super heroes have for their final forty five minutes of run time. This shows the devotion to story that Mangold has with this film. Even with little action, it is never a dull movie, as the characters are always on the run, and it is edited to keep a fast pace that never tires.
In the midst of a storm of super hero movies that all feel like they follow the same beats, save for a few, Logan truly is a special entry into the genre. With great dialogue and outstanding performances across the board, this is a really well constructed film. The best thing about it, spoiler alert, is that it isn't used to set up any more stories. It is a self-contained tale that is of itself. Hugh Jackman was always the Wolverine, and this is a world class send off to his efforts for this popular character.
Rating - 3.5 out of four stars
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