Pretty good film. The Japanese setting really confused me, still kinda does, but I understand it somewhat now that I know the it was pulled from the comics. Good film overall, but similar to **_X-Men Origins: Wolverine_** it doesn't really seem to fit what fans want to see. Good movie though.

This second solo outing for the eponymous "X-Man" sees him rescue a Japanese soldier from the Nagasaki bomb. Many years later, that solider - "Yashida" (Hal Yamanouchi) - has become a wealthy and successful industrialist determined to leave his fortune to his strong-willed and capable granddaughter "Mariko" (Tao Okamoto). It's soon clear, though, that that succession plan is going to face it's problems - not least from her own father "Shingen" (Hiroyuki Sabada) and the Yakuza replete with their own group of combat-ready mutants. When an attempt is made to kidnap the woman at the old man's funeral, "Logan" (Hugh Jackman) gets more than he bargained for - and is now faced with a dilemma the like of which he had hitherto thought impossible. Moreover, this development actually puts both him and his charge at considerable risk. The plot takes a further twist when they both discover that there may yet be an even more dangerous foe awaiting them. Though this looks good, the story is weak and the characterisations all largely undercooked as the emotional undercurrents for "Logan" - still reeling from his loss of "Jean Grey" - drags the story into a mire of sentiment that makes this actually quite heavy going at times. As with the "Origins" film (2009) the nature of his battle skills require much too much close quarter and repetitive combat scenes that, after a while - and after he has, for the umpteenth time, emerged from a battle against overwhelming odds without breaking a nail - become jaded and dull to watch. The denouement scenes here seem to go on interminably, but without any sense of jeopardy - we all know what is going to happen and no amount of acrobatics and pyrotechnics makes that inevitability any more exciting to watch. Jackman himself is nowhere near his best here, either - it is almost as if he is as tired of this role as I am now. The supporting cast do little more than make up the numbers and though it's watchable enough, I did struggle and seriously hope we will see no more of these en-seul efforts.

This is definitely a good and entertaining movie. For me however, it falls short of being great due to a couple of things that I really did not like. Be warned that the rest of this review contains a few spoilers if you have not watched the movie before reading this. The movie begins quite well. I liked Wolverine getting into that bar taking revenge on the idiot hunting bears with poisoned darts. Then it did not continue so well. My main issue is that they screw with Wolverines healing powers really early on in the movie so that he is handicapped for a good chunk of it. I really did not like that. Now this does not stop there from being quite a few cool action sequences. The fight sequence on the Japanese bullet train was quite cool although a wee bit too drawn out perhaps. Eventually he manages to get his powers back although the happiness does not last very long. In the final combat they actually deprive Wolverine of his adamantium claws and it doesn’t look like he gets those back. What the f… is that? Sure, he regrows his original bone claws but that is not the same thing. Wolverine should have his adamantium claws, full stop. This is something I really dislike with a lot of Hollywood producers and directors now. They feel that they have to create some shock effect by destroying icons and constants in the world of movie fantasy. Like blowing up the Enterprise over and over again. I just hate it and for me this is the one thing that really stops this from being a great movie. Either they somehow give him back his proper claws or they can just as well make a reboot as far as I am concerned. It is quite sad that they, I will not say ruined but at least, diminished the movie in this way. Otherwise it would have been a great movie. It has a lot of nice action, a not too bad script and Hugh Jackman is very good as Wolverine. Actually the only one I thought was somewhat si so is Dr Green who’s acting is rather pathetic. All in all a good and entertaining movie that could have been a lot better if it was not for the Hollywood dimwits who felt they had to put something shocking in it and screwed it up.