Man on Film: The Wolverine

While it is tough to move past wondering what could have been if Darren Aronofsky and Christopher McQuarrie had remained attached as the director and writer, respectively, of this film, measuring The Wolverine (on Blu-ray / DVD + DigitalHD or On Demand) against its lackluster predecessor more than puts those wistful thoughts of a film never made to rest. James Mangold's entrant into the larger X-Men series certainly fares well, incorporating Chris Claremont and Frank Miller's Japanese saga into the film universe while giving the gruff and brooding hero a better, more streamlined platform by which to infuse both the history and the pathos that makes Wolverine a character to whom the audience is drawn.

Much of The Wolverine's success goes back to the initial casting of Hugh Jackman as Logan. For the past 12 years or so, he has embodied what any X-Men fan had always hoped to see on the screen. A lot of the other casting wasn't as successful, but Jackman fits the brooding, brawny Canuck naturally.

Most importantly, though, this installment in the series is much less a slipshod series of vignettes loosely strung together to resemble a film with a plot, which the first Wolverine film sadly was. One shouldn't have to worry about whether or not a movie is going to feel as though it had been haphazardly thrown together, but two of the previous three films in the X-Men universe definitely passed that burden down to The Wolverine. While The Wolverine may not have been as good as some of the Marvel Studios films that have come out in the past few years, it was definitely the second straight step in the right direction and was a much needed salve to the wound left by X-Men: The Last Stand and X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

Here's to hoping that the franchise continues down this path.

Man on Film: Jack Reacher

It is tempting to simply state that Jack Reacher is an unabridged love story doting on Rosamund Pike's chest--because, well, it sort of is--and just leave it at that, but once one is able to step back and attempt to extricate one's brain from such base thoughts it becomes clear that at the very least the new "Tom Cruise star vehicle"* is a completely engaging action-thriller, rife with intrigue, conspiracy, and crisp action sequences.

*The quotation marks are not meant to diminish Cruise in any way. It is clear, though, that the unintentional star of the film is Rosamund Pike's busom which is always featured prominently with an incontrovertibly intentional focus of the lens while being generously highlighted by smart er, calculating wardrobe choices. 

For screenwriter-by-trade Christopher McQuarrie, Jack Reacher marks just the second time he has stepped behind the camera (metaphorically, of course)--the first time being The Way of the Gun. While it has been so long since I saw The Way of the Gun that I can't even recall if it was good or not, I'll refrain from getting too far into his background. In his most recent project, he has crafted an effective action-thriller with a contemporary take on the great paranoia thrillers of the 1970s. Does Jack Reacher reach the lofty heights of being on par with Three Days of the Condor or The Conversation? Of course not. It is, however, an engaging journey as the titular retired military investigator pieces together a spree killing in which the evidence is wrapped up in entirely too nice a package.

For his part (and once you get through the personal baggage that is inevitable), Cruise still plays the part of the action star extremely well. Just as was clear in Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, Cruise inhabits these roles with a swagger and confidence that not many can muster. He has a preternatural ability to embody these stoic badasses. It may not be the coolest thing to say, but Cruise really is a hell of an action star. When paired with Rosamund Pike (I'll just leave it there), Cruise has produced another memorable if not spectacular action thriller that is, at the very least, a ride worth paying to go on.