July 27, 2013 -- The latest in a long line superhero movies is slow-moving and introspective, a bit too slow-moving, but it works well enough to be entertaining. It is all about self-doubt, regret, depression, ennui and corporate intrigue. In the end, Wolverine finally springs into action, although there is not much of a reason for him to perk up to that extent, other than the need for at least some action in a superhero movie climax.

The film starts out in Nagasaki, the day the atomic bomb was dropped on that city by U.S. forces during World War II. Logan is somehow trapped in a deep pit during the air raid. A Japanese army officer offers to free him, but Logan tells him “You're better off down here.” At the bottom of the pit, Logan shields the kindly officer from the blast using a sheet of metal.

Years later, that same Japanese man, Yashida (Hal Yamanouchi of “The Way Back”) becomes head of a powerful corporation. He sends an operative, Yukio (Rila Fukushima) to find the Wolverine (Logan) and bring him to Tokyo so he can personally thank Logan before he dies. The Wolverine is camping out in a remote wilderness, haunted by nightmares of his lover, Jean Grey (who he killed in “X-Men: The Last Stand”). Yukio gets him on a plane to Tokyo and soon he is meeting with Yashida.

It turns out that Yashida has an offer for Logan. He says he can offer Logan a normal life and a normal death, freeing him from the misery of his eternal suffering. Logan's mutation, the ability to quickly heal from any wound and regenerate lost tissue, means that he will live forever. Yashida says he can transfer Logan's ability to himself. Logan refuses the procedure, snarling “You don't want what I've got!” That is obviously untrue.

Logan also finds there is a lot of corporate intrigue going on as various people, including members of Yashida's own family are fighting to inherit Yashida's vast business empire. Some of these factions are allied with organized crime. At Yashida's funeral, an attempt is made on the life of Yashida's strikingly tall, thin, beautiful granddaughter Mariko (Tao Okamoto). Logan protects her from an army of assassins, but in doing so discovers that his wounds are not healing as fast as they used to. Something has happened to Logan and he is now vulnerable.

Logan suspects another mutant, the snake-woman known as Viper (a very tall, blond, Svetlana Khodchenkova of “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”) has done something to him, and he is right. It turns out there is a very complex scheme going on with so many players it is hard to keep them all straight. Logan doesn't know who to trust, except for Mariko, and sometimes he isn't sure about her. Despite all the complex machinations by a lot of inscrutable characters and Logan's moody angst, there is also some action in this movie. Eventually it comes down to a big fight scene, although you'll probably not guess who the Wolverine fights at the end.

Hugh Jackman gives a great performance in this film as The Wolverine. He shows a lot of depth of feeling and he is plenty physical for the fight scenes. None of the other characters are all that interesting. This probably isn't the movie that X-Men fans expected, but it is O.K. As the credits roll, there is a hint of more to come in this X-Men franchise, including some characters not seen for a few years. Generally, this has been a good series of films. This is probably the weakest entry of the lot, but it is still just good enough to rate a C+.

Click here for links to places to buy or rent this movie in digital formats, or to buy the soundtrack, posters, books, even used videos, games, electronics and lots of other stuff. I suggest you shop at least two of these places before buying anything. Prices seem to vary continuously. For more information on this film, click on this link to The Internet Movie Database. Type in the name of the movie in the search box and press enter. You will be able to find background information on the film, the actors, and links to much more information.

Copyright © 2013 Robert Roten. All rights reserved.
Reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder.

Robert Roten can be reached via e-mail at .