Uncompromising comic book neo-western packs a punch

Rating: 7/10 (22 October 2017)

This down-and-dirty 'X-Men' spin-off takes its cues from classic westerns, specifically 'Unforgiven', and presents a compelling and surprisingly emotional take on cinematic comic book characters who had started to feel somewhat worn out. Ironically, this final chapter of the old guard rejuvenates what had become a stale and predictable franchise.
Hugh Jackman reprises his animalistic icon and the role now fits him like a well-worn boxing glove, only this time he imbues Wolverine with such a sense of irreparable brokenness and emotional gravitas that it ranks as one of his finest performances to date. Patrick Stewart also shows us some of his best work as an ailing Charles Xavier, no longer the stable source of wisdom and serenity, but instead a fragile old man suffering through an illness of the mind that has robbed him of his dignity. If you strip away the fantasy then this is about two ageing men – one a fallen war hero turned washed-up alcoholic and the other a former community leader turned lonely, Alzheimer's-ridden geriatric. Together, Jackman and Stewart make for the most compelling and unexpectedly touching double act. They turn a comic book western into something of a fragile buddy movie cum pseudo father/son story and their chemistry makes the film work.
There are issues with 'Logan' that stop it from realising its full potential though. The first hour is almost without fault: it's affecting and tense, full of pain and anger and grit and snarl, punctuated by salty dialogue, soulful performances, and bloody, brutal action set-pieces that pull no punches. However, as we switch gears into the third act, things begin to fall back on formula, especially once we meet the 'big bad' of the piece and lose an old friend in the process. The film loses something as a story after that and devolves into more standard comic book action adventure fare, particularly with its woodland-set climax that looks closer in spirit to the ramped-up silliness of 'X-Men Origins: Wolverine' than the dusty, dirty western-inspired imagery of the previous 100 minutes.
But I won't get too bogged down in the negative because there is much to celebrate here. This is really brilliant stuff, commendable for the risks it takes, more so because it is produced by a candy floss factory of blockbuster entertainment that usually assembly lines its products to be sweet and light. And there ain't no candy to be found with this flick. It's bloody, it's brutal and it's emotional. It's everything you could want from a mature comic book film really. 'Logan' engages with its key theme of growing old both in tender and tough ways, so much so that you forget you're watching an 'X-Men' film half of the time, while director James Mangold finally fulfils the promise he once showed (20 odd years ago no less) with his own magnum opus and neo-western 'Cop Land'. Even with my reservations about the last 30 mins, 'Logan' is still a magnificently made, uncompromising superhero film that has absolutely no interest in being a superhero film.