Review of Logan (2017) by Jeff B — 24 Jun 2018

Making the most out of a Hard-R rating and a career-best lead performance, this violent but thought-provoking kitty definitely has claws when it comes to closing out the most popular X-Man's run with a blockbusting but altogether satisfying bang. In this R-rated future-set actioner, a weary Logan (Hugh Jackman) cares for an ailing Professor X (Patrick Stewart), but their attempts to hide from the world and their legacies get upended when a young mutant arrives (Dafne Keen), pursued by dark forces.

From the opening scene, this very loose adaptation of the "Old Man Logan" storyline from the Wolverine comic series doesn't shy away from body counts or subverting superhero movie tropes. In fact, in this world-weary future, the only recognizable things are Logan and Professor Charles Xavier. With Logan, the X-Men franchise and its extensions have jumped ahead many years without fully explaining the Hows and Whys. Not connecting these dots proves far more intriguing as it gives the tone and setting a nebulousness akin to a certain classic trilogy of Spaghetti westerns where the main character has no name. Set in a really down and dirty time for mutants, itself very western-esque, both of these characters are very blue in two very different manners--emotionally and filthily. This is to say, it's a downbeat landscape in which most of mutantkind has been wiped out and this depression manifests itself in the form of many F-Bombs and obscene shouting matches. While working 'blue' would seem to fit Logan's curmudgeonly persona like a glove, moviegoers will be surprised how well it suits the typically do-gooding Prof. X as well. What results is a road movie that allows each character to show a decent amount of heart as these two aging meta-humans undergo a lot of human changes. Oh, there are blood, guts, and set pieces aplenty but this is the most adult extension of the X-franchise for other reasons. Indeed, even set in a latter-day dystopia, this is the most grounded of X-Men outings because our heroes ultimately face off with their own mortality. At times head-turning and heart-wrenching in the same scene, this swan song goes for broke in all of the best ways.

Mind you, Logan won't win awards for its dialogue (as much as the story isn't typical, the lines are oftentimes downright pedestrian) but it's still a comic book movie at heart and comic book movies aren't striving for David Mamet diction to sell through the plot. And what a plot it is. The fact that writer-director James Mangold (who shares screenwriting credit with Scott Frank and Michael Green) even positioned this as the final go-round for fan favorite Wolverine - or that Fox greenlit it - amounts to shear bravery (what was borrowed and built upon from the comic book alone deserves plaudits). Just listen to the summary: A graying and wrinkled Agent X drops F-Bombs and aggressors while navigating a very pessimistic western landscape with his old boss and a young girl who just might be the world's most powerful mutant. Such a bold move sounds more like stupidity as opposed to bravery but the end result is brilliantly executed. Hugh Jackman has played this role 8 times before but here, he is free to color outside of the lines. Lived-in at this point, he stretches Logan's skin to a ridiculously nuanced degree--never to the point of feeling false though. Likewise, Patrick Stewart gives a supporting turn that breaks the heart but also feels quite appropriate. Heath Ledger received an Oscar posthumously for his performance as the Joker, proving that comic book characters are worthy of H'Wood gold. Jackman and Stewart very much earn their tears as well.

To Sum It All Up: Truth and Claw.