Logan **** (2017, Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Dafne Keen, Boyd Holbrook, Stephen Merchant, Richard E Grant) – Movie Review

Death is everywhere in co-writer/ director James Mangold’s dark and dangerous R-rated movie follow-up to The Wolverine (2013), with Hugh Jackman back for what he has named his final turn as Logan. So the Logan movie is not very cheery then. Both the heroes and villains deal out death in much strong brutal violence throughout the visceral action of the movie, and death is the subject of the movie.

The film ends with the desperate dirge of Johnny Cash’s song ‘Hurt’: ‘Everyone I know goes away in the end.’ Fans who like to access the word ‘comic’ in comic books better look elsewhere. The Deadpool crowd should be well happy though.

So there are not many laughs in this extraordinarily high-impact sci-fi action thriller, but, surprisingly, there are quite a few, and some good ones. The movie is expertly judged, precision tooled, a highly fit-for-purpose item.

It starts with a great idea and keeps going relentlessly for its 137 minutes, and provides Jackman with a tremendous role (two actually) that gives him as much space to do some proper acting as performing the action. Just to remind everybody, in case we forgot, Jackman is a very strong, powerful dramatic actor, as well as a movie star and celebrity.

The film reminds us all the time of the Marvel Comics, by having the X-Men comic as a major plot point, but it seems to have left Marvel way behind somewhere. It is its own, unique thing. And, hey, Logan is also a fresh-take sequel that is actually worth seeing.

The film plays like a Western, an idea promoted by the film’s interest in Shane (1953), but the Western it is like is one of those Seventies modern-day setting ones, playing out along the Mexican border. Interesting that. Mangold knows his old movies, but doesn’t get smart aleck with it.

It is 2029, and a battle-fatigued, sick Logan is caring for an ailing 90-year-old Professor X (Patrick Stewart) in a dystopian outdoors hideout on the Mexican border, with the help of albino Caliban (Stephen Merchant). Trying to hide from the world, Logan is dogged by trouble, including a young villain called Pierce (Boyd Holbrook) and his boys, and a woman called Gabriela who wants his help in getting a weird, apparently mute 11-year-old girl Laura (Dafne Keen) she calls her daughter to a safe place.

Jackman and Stewart start up a good thing together, in a touching and amusing double act as two characters way past their prime, heading for the scrapheap. Stewart earns his money easier than Jackman, but he’s good. Holbrook and Richard E Grant as some kind of mad doctor (Dr Rice) are OK villains, fine, but they sure don’t overshadow the heroes. Keen and Merchant are OK, but sure don’t overshadow the two stars. It is how it ideally should be.

Though not usually a fan of listening to film scores, I really liked Marco Beltrami’s urgent music, just right in both the action and personal drama moments. Director of photography John Mathieson makes it look stupendous.

Scott Frank and Michael Green collaborate with Mangold on the polished screenplay. The stunts and effects are brilliant, bringing the action right inside your brain. Mangold masterminds it all with ultimate skill and keeps all the balls he’s juggling in the air.

I know Jackman wants to put Logan to rest, and it is great to go out on a high, but, dear Hugh, it is a shame to quit while you’re on this kind of form. Remember what Sean Connery said about James Bond: Never Say Never Again.

After I saw it, I thought ‘stupendous, but I really would never want to see it again’. But, now I’m writing about it, I’ve persuaded myself to see it again as soon as I can.

It is R rated for strong brutal violence and strong language throughout, and for brief nudity.

Just in case you don’t want to stay through the final credits, there are no more scenes once the movie ends.

Jackman followed it with the cheerier The Greatest Showman (2017).

RIP Chelsea Cineworld.

I did see Logan again. I saw it on 9 March 2017, at the Chelsea Cineworld, the last day before its tragic closure. ‘Everyone I know goes away in the end.’ RIP Logan. RIP Chelsea Cineworld.

© Derek Winnert 2017 Movie Review

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