Consumed by gilt and depression over killing his former team-mate Jean Grey (Femke Janssen), taken over by her Dark-Phoenix persona (whom he carried a torch for), Logan/Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) has vowed to keep his inner animal caged inside. Giving up the selfless hero routine for a life of solitude in the Canadian wilderness, sinking his sorrows into the bottom of a bottle of whiskey. That is until a group of hunters fail to track and properly execute a suffering brown bear they've fatally wounded with a poison tipped arrow, which drives the bear berserk. Resulting in the death of three out of four of the hunters. After Logan reluctantly ends the bear's suffering, he tracks the surviving hunter to a bar. Inside he gives the hunter a taste of his own medicine. When the patrons in the bar try to intervene, Logan is aided by Yukio (Rila Fukushima). A young mutant (who can see peoples death before they occur) representing Yashida (Haruhiko Yamanouchi), the CEO of a technology corporation, who is dying of cancer. Logan saved Yashida's life during the Nagasaki bombing, and Yashida wants Logan to accompany Yukio to Japan to return the favor.
While in Japan Logan discovers Yashida's true motive for summoning him. Yashida's endeavor to cheat death a second time by transferring Logan's mutant healing ability into his frail form granting him the immortality Logan feels has cheated him from a soldiers, honorable death. Though Logan initially believes this task to be impossible, he's soon proven wrong when Yoshida's Doctor, a mutant called Viper (Svetlana Khodchenkova), injects a parasite into his system that weakens his healing ability. Meanwhile, Yashida's death provokes a family feud that threatens the life of his granddaughter, Mariko (Tao Okamoto) who has inherited all of her grandfathers massive wealth and power. Once again, Logan is thrust head-first into a situation where he must embrace his true nature as a soldier and protect Mariko from overwhelming odds, all while trying to prevent his healing ability from falling into the wrong hands.
Hugh Jackman reprises the role that made him an international star under the direction of James Mangold (Walk The Line) in his sixth outing as the feral, adamantium clawed mutant. Giving his most character driven performance in the role since X2: X-Men United. The Wolverine explores Logan's inner-turmoil, to make peace with who he is and who he's meant to be. A daring, stand alone film loosely based on The Wolverine limited series (1982) by writer Chris Claremont and artist Frank Miller. Though the film draws inspiration from this story ark and utilizes most of its characters, the film moves in its own direction. Yet manages to remain reminiscent of Wolverines comic book solo adventures.
The first two acts of the film should have been the overall tone of the movie, as they're as grounded in reality as can be, with the exception of the bullet-train scene. A great action sequence but I felt it to be a departure from the tone of the first half of the film. I have the same issue with the third act, being a bit too over the top. I would have preferred a battle between Wolverine and a thousand ninja's and a Samurai sword fight with Mariko's father to be the end-game rather than a battle with an Adamatiam, exo-battle-suit version of Silver Samurai, but I digress. The PG-13 rating also prevents the action and violence from achieving the levels of excess an R-rated film can indulge in.
Though the definitive Wolverine film has yet to be seen on screen, Hugh Jackman & James Mangold's The Wolverine is a big step in the right direction, deserving 3 out of 5 stars. Solid performances from a capable cast, well choreographed action scenes, traditional stunts (reminiscent of old martial arts films), minimal CGI (giving the film a more realistic feel), and a character driven story, make this film very enjoyable. Even if you end up, disliking The Wolverine or feel it's good but not great as I do, the mid-credits scene alone is worth the price admission.