Vertigo

Vertigo
Vertigo

Sunday, March 19, 2017

LOGAN and Its Tortured Warrior

A very different take on Marvel super heroes by writer/director James Mangold, Logan is a dark reinvention of the X Men mythology with an intense performance by Hugh Jackman.

Set in Texas in 2029, Logan (Jackman), formerly Wolverine, is a limo driver who cares for an elderly Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart), the telepath whose unfettered bouts of dementia threaten to wreak destruction.  This is a bleak world with mutants nearly extinct. When a girl, Laura (Dafne Keen), who may have special abilities, is thrust into their existence, the trio forms a makeshift family of sorts. Not far behind, a military group emerges to study mutant powers and more.  This leads to a desperate cross-country pursuit to a refuge called Eden which may or may not exist and a brutal confrontation between good versus evil as Logan battles overwhelming numbers and firepower. 


The actions scenes are startlingly effective; this is a more vivid, graphic depiction of violence and language.  The mood is somber and Logan is a man in pain, an alcoholic trying to forget his past and dealing mental and physical wounds that reduce him to a pale shadow of his former self.  Being very reluctant to help anyone else outside of Charles, it is the relationship between Logan and Laura that drives the story.


With direct references to Shane, the film has an emotional, touching end with a memorable, symbolic act.  This is one terrific, yet elegiac vision of great Marvel characters done with ferocity.

Forget the end credits-this one has a marvelous, pre-movie teaser not to be missed. 

***1/2 of **** stars  (add 1/2 * for Marvel fans)

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