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Review

A star rating of 3 out of 5.

The second solo outing for Hugh Jackman's clawed mauler is a definite improvement on X-Men Origins: Wolverine. This Far East adventure begins with mardy mutant Logan in the depths of despair following the events of X-Men - the Last Stand. However, he's persuaded to leave his mountain retreat and travel to Tokyo to see an old friend, who promises to remove his healing power and relieve him of the burden of immortality. But it's not long before yakuza and ninja crash the reunion, as a clan turf war erupts. Director James Mangold makes great play of the fish-out-of-water element of the story and Wolverine's status as a ronin (a masterless samurai), while a beefed-up Jackman rises to the occasion with a powerful but restrained performance. There are some exhilarating workouts for the hero (on a superfast train, in a battle with ninja that recalls Kurosawa's Throne of Blood), one or two unexpected turns of events, and formidable femmes fatales in acrobatic samurai Rila Fukushima and slinky Svetlana Khodchenkova, who plays a venomous chemist with her own set of deadly claws. However, extended romantic interludes with clan princess Tao Okamoto and the need to include standard blockbuster action scenes hinder Mangold's valiant attempt to deliver a film to match the game-changing quality of X-Men: First Class.

How to watch

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Credits

Cast

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Logan / WolverineHugh Jackman
Mariko YashidaTao Okamoto
YukioRila Fukushima
Shingen YashidaHiroyuki Sanada
ViperSvetlana Khodchenkova
Noburo MoriBrian Tee
Jean GreyFamke Janssen
HaradaWill Yun Lee
Lord YashidaHaruhiko Yamanouchi

Crew

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DirectorJames Mangold

Details

Theatrical distributor
20th Century Fox
Released on
2013-07-26
Languages
English | Japanese
Guidance
Violence, swearing.
Available on
DVD and Blu-ray
Formats
Colour

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