'Take your friends and run... They'll keep coming, and coming... You don't have to fight anymore.'

Rating: Null/10 (11 June 2017)

For those who have been following the Marvel Comic Books cinematic transformation, the character of Wolverine – that hunk with the blades that shoot out from his hands when he is angry – is well known. LOGAN represents the end of Wolverine, and surprisingly this is a very touching film and not just excessive gore (though that is certainly present throughout the film!). One line that underscores the mood of this piece is Logan's line 'Nature made me a freak. Man made me a weapon. And God made it last too long.' James Mangold directs the story he wrote (transformed into a screen play with help form Scott Frank and Michael Green) with a great deal of empathy for the last of Logan and his return to a caring man.
The year is 2029 - the mutant population has shrunken significantly and the X-Men have disbanded. Logan (Hugh Jackman), whose power to self-heal is dwindling, has surrendered himself to alcohol and now earns a living as a chauffeur. He takes care of the ailing old Professor X (Patrick Stewart) and his sidekick, the albino Caliban (Stephen Merchant) whom he keeps hidden away. One day, a female stranger (Elizabeth Rodriguez) asks Logan to drive a girl named Laura (Dafne Keen) to the Canadian border. At first he refuses, but the Professor has been waiting for a long time for her to appear. Laura possesses an extraordinary fighting prowess and is in many ways like Wolverine. She is pursued by sinister figures (led by Boyd Holbrook) working for a powerful corporation; this is because her DNA contains the secret that connects her to Logan. A relentless pursuit begins. This time around we see Wolverine as the superhero beset by everyday problems -aging, ailing and struggling to survive financially. A decrepit Logan is forced to ask himself if he can or even wants to put his remaining powers to good use. It would appear that in the near-future, the times in which they were able put the world to rights with razor sharp claws and telepathic powers are now over.
Kindness prevails – as a family (Eriq La Salle, Elise Neal, and Quincy Fouse) provide caring and protection for Wolverine and his mutant daughter. The evil trackers are very well portrayed, the action is brisk, but underneath all the killing and mutilation is a story with a heart. Grady Harp, June 17