The Wolverine

Jame's Mangold's The Wolverine is perhaps the best of the modern superhero movies, a singular achievement in a genre that seems designed to reward mediocre repetition. It is a small story, of brutal focus and vast temporal scope, grappling with issues of life, death, and the endless experience of pain that might be called immortality.

That Logan is a primal, instinctive man is well-established. What the audience often misses is his intelligence and the adamantium-hard sense of honor. Japan, in all its contradictory glory, is a perfect setting for his adventure. The Samurai, warrior-aristocrats whose shadows loom large over this film, were known for embodying the best and worst of Japanese society. Generals, nobles, creators and patrons of the arts, many were also savage killers who mistreated those under their rule. This, of course, is where Wolverine differs. He can kill without mercy or hesitation, but carries always the guilt and rage of his past actions. The Wolverine is a haunted film about a traumatized man, adrift in a world where his enemies match his skill and double his savagery, all in the name of honor.

Does Yashida realize that he's a villain? There is an undoubtedly selfish element to his quest for immortality. But, I wonder if he doesn't see his actions as nessecary. He is a man to whom honor and family, and the honor of his family, are literally everything. Notice the endless talk of his legacy. I wondered, on first viewing, why he insisted on bringing Mariko to his evil layer (the real reason is that the producers wanted her present for the finale). In character terms, though, I think he means for her to act as a witness. Yashinda's triumph will come in immortality, but more importantly in the glory of his family. Mariko, his favorite, must be there to bask in his radiance.

And what about Logan? This is Hugh Jackman's best performance in his defining role. Much has been written about the preposterous lengths to which the actor will go in preparing his body, and indeed his dedication is stunning. But it's his face I find fascinating. Jackman was in his late twenties, shooting the first X-men. That was fifteen years ago. His physique is unaffected by time (more shredded than ever, if anything), but there's a gravity and a maturity now that have only come with age. Listen to Wolverine speak, through the movie. On first arriving in Japan he's coarse, brash and rude. By the end of the film his voice is softer, the words better-chosen. We realize that the "obnoxious American" early in the film was an act, a mannered performance meant to cover uncertainty. At the end, we're seeing the real thing. That's Jackman's evolution, over seven films and many years.

Many critics hate the finale, Logan vs Silver Samurai. I disagree. It's imperfect, certainly, too neat and tidy, with every character given something significant to do. James Mangold, though, seems more concerned with photography than filmmaking in much of the sequence. We see many wide shots of Wolverine and the Samurai, standing ready with blades out. The Samurai is an evolution and a regression, the worst of Japan's past brought forward in time and equipped with the best of modern technology. Logan, similarly, is something old, animalistic, given shiny sci-fi claws. Is it an accident that he triumphs after losing the adamantium blades?

Clearly, Wolverine learns…. something, in the course of this movie. What, we aren't sure. Could he and Mariko have a future together? Even aside from the fact that he's immortal and she isn't, I doubt it. Logan refuses Yashida's offer because he has something left to do, a purpose as yet unfulfilled. I'm reminded of the great joke about a man to whom Logan owes much; "Chuck Norris does not sleep, he waits." Wolverine, at the beginning of this adventure in the mountains, is waiting. Waiting for a call from the world, a sign that those parts of himself he fears and hates are needed once again. By the end of the movie, he's out looking for it. Searching, a soldier ready to return to his battle. As any good immortal knows; Eventually the end becomes a new beginning.