Thank the superhero gods for the blockbuster success of "Deadpool". Until that massive and hilarious hit grossed over $360 million, Marvel was locked into a PG-13 version of their mutant X-MEN saga. Without it, we never would have been able to see the superb, DARK and ultra-violent tale of LOGAN on the screen.
It's the near future.
Logan/Wolverine (Hugh Jackman in a terrific,tortured performance) is laying low as a less than sober chauffeur, hiding by day with an aging and ill Professor X (Patrick Stewart) in a very nondescript portion of the Mexican border.
Their solitude is shaken when a woman approaches Logan and begs him to take her daughter to the Canadian border, offering Logan plenty of cash to do so.
When the young girl Laura (Dafne Keen) demonstrates signs of being a mutant, Professor X hails her as the long awaited subject of his drug induced dreams, while Logan battles to hold on to their seclusion.
When massive forces descend to grab the girl, Logan and the film swing into action.
The journey from there is best left unsaid, so you can have as much explosive fun watching it unfold as I did.
Fun is a word I use carefully though, as this is a very, very dark film.
Jackman has never been better as Wolverine than he is here, turning to alcohol for relief as his self healing body begins to breakdown.
Stewart matches him, especially during quiet moments when his mind begins to emerge from his drugged state.
Watch for Stephen Merchant (The Ricky Gervais Show) as Caliban, Boyd Holbrook as baddie Pierce, Eric LaSalle (ER) as the farmer Hudson and Richard E. Grant (Bram Stoker's Dracula) as the nasty doctor behind it all.
Several action sequences stand out, including a grand scale battle against the Professor's powers in a casino and a forest-set battle against the evil forces attempting to capture Laura.
When Logan, Professor and Laura connect for a quiet moment with a farm family, the film slows down to show a moment of normal life to our three fugitives. It's one of the film's best moments, giving them just one night of silence and comfort before it implodes.
Writer/Director James Mangold brings more realistic drama to LOGAN than any other X-Men film. His past films like the Johnny Cash bio "Walk the Line" and "Cop Land" inform the more human sides of Logan and company.
Profane and violent, LOGAN isn't a kids movie. It's a well crafted thriller for adults that wraps up the Wolverine chapter of the X-MEN saga with style and surprising emotion.
And yes, that little girl can really kick some ass too.....action fans will not be disappointed.
LOGAN gets a surprisingly moving and well crafted A.
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