¡°The Wolverine¡± may look like just another in a long line of superhero movies to hit the screen this year ¡ª it¡¯s the latest installment in Marvel¡¯s ¡°X-Men¡± franchise ¡ª but it¡¯s certainly the first one directed by a guy who cites director Yasujiro Ozu of ¡°Tokyo Monogatari (Tokyo Story)¡± fame as an influence.
Director James Mangold, best known for his Oscar-winning movies ¡°Walk the Line¡± and ¡°Girl, Interrupted,¡± has often said he was heavily influenced by the Japanese maestro on his breakthrough 1995 debut ¡°Heavy,¡± which featured great performances by Liv Tyler and Pruitt Taylor Vince and an Ozu-esque understated subtlety.
Subtlety isn¡¯t to be expected in a superhero movie, but Mangold focuses on character, and the demons driving Logan ¡ª the indestructible, metal-clawed Wolverine, played by Hugh Jackman ¡ª as he comes to Japan to visit an old friend who¡¯s on his deathbed, only to be swept up in a whirlwind of corporate and yakuza intrigue.
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