- I'll be the first to admit that I approached James Mangold's The Wolverine with more than a little trepidation. X-Men Origins: Wolverine may have been the worst big-budget superhero movie I've ever seen, which is saying something, and the entire experience had me wondering whether Wolverine was actually a strong enough character to merit a solo effort. Deep down, he's just an invincible angry guy with metal claws, right? Tough to imagine anybody filling out two hours with that. Well, I'm happy to admit that The Wolverine proved me wrong. No, it doesn't quite justify its entire runtime with a brilliant Wolverine-centric plot, but it was certainly good enough to convince me that such a feat could be accomplished.
- The film's excellent opening sequence set in the northern wilderness reveals that Logan (Hugh Jackman), once known as Wolverine, has been spending the years since the forgettable X-Men: The Last Stand living as a hermit in the woods. Dreams of the late Jean Grey (Famke Janssen) plague his sleep, and his waking hours resemble those of the lone grizzly bear whose death at the hands of irresponsible hunters he soon finds himself avenging. This act of heroism convinces a young prognostic mutant named Yukio (Rila Fukushima) that this is indeed the same Wolverine she was sent from Japan to find. You see, her master, a dying business tycoon named Yashida (Haruhiko Yamanouchi), seeks to thank the mutant who saved his life so many years ago during the bombing of Nagasaki. Even a misanthrope like Logan has trouble turning down an offer like that, and he's soon on a plane to Japan.
- Upon landing in Tokyo, Logan immediately finds himself immersed in a family feud involving the decrepit family patriarch, his arrogant son Shingen (Hiroyuki Sanada), sensitive granddaughter Mariko (Tao Okamoto), and Mariko's politically connected fiance Noburo (Brian Tee). Adding to the intrigue is Yashida's dying request that Logan pass along his mutant healing powers to save the old man's life, a process apparently developed by Yashida's slippery surgeon, Dr. Green (Svetlana Khodchenkova). Logan sensibly refuses, but a disturbing dream and Logan's newfound mortality suggest that perhaps the not-so-good doctor proceeded without the patient's consent. And yet, that same evening, the peeling of household bells announces that Yashida has died, an occurrence that even Yukio's mutant power didn't predict. As a team of Yakuza assassins and a mysterious archer (Will Yun Lee) descend upon the funeral, one gets the feeling that this family's problems are far from over. A spectacular urban chase scene culminating in a silly (but fun!) battle on the outside of a bullet train should convince American action film directors that they've neglected Tokyo for far too long.
- In the middle of what future film historians will presumably label the superhero franchise era, The Wolverine links only tenuously to two of the series' weakest films, preferring instead, much like its eponymous hero, to strike out on its own. For the film's first hour, this brave approach to solo storytelling combines perfectly with the terrific location filming, a taiko-drum infused soundtrack, and remarkably compelling performances by film novices Fukushima and Okamoto. As Mariko, Okamoto is especially good, bringing wit and strength to a character that easily could have become a stereotypical damsel-in-distress. Eventually, less engrossing plot points having to do with self-surgery, strange serpents, and silver samurai drain some of the life out of the proceedings, but at least the entire film was watchable. A post-credits sequence that ties in to the disappointing X-Men: Days of Future Past serves as an unfortunate reminder that compelling stand-alone narratives are the exception, rather than the rule.
