With only a few months to go until James Mangold's X-Men spin-off flick
The Wolverine hits theatres worldwide, fans of Hugh Jackman's sardonic anti-hero are likely getting giddier and giddier with each passing day. Set in Japan, we already know that
The Wolverine will bring its titular hero into a world of neon lighting, samurai swords, Yakuza showdowns and beautiful femme fatales. In fact, those who have been working close to the production have mentioned on a number of occasions that
The Wolverine has adopted a tone best described as "futuristic noir." Sounds great to us. And though we've only been treated to a few slices of information relating to the movie thus far,
James Mangold recently took to his Twitter account and posted a selection of images from 10 movies that he felt influenced him whilst making
The Wolverine. Join us as we take a look at each one of the images, and speculate on just what it was about these iconic films that might've helped to shape what is looking to be one of the coolest superhero movies ever...
10. Chungking Express (1994)
Chinese director Wong Kar-wai is a certified master of mood - his films are as light as breeze, rendered with precise attention to detail, and are completely and utterly dream-like (in the best possible sense).
Chungking Express, arguably the director's best film ever, is comprised of two unrelated love stories, both of which take place in Hong Kong. And much of
Chungking Express is shot at the infamous Chungking Mansions, a sort of low-rent, all-inclusive "walled" city, packed into a dilapidated apartment block. Aside from the obvious aesethic influences that
The Wolverine is likely to have taken from
Chungking Express (much of the movie uses sparse lighting and wondrous neon), both movies have a noir-ish appeal about them.
The Wolverine, too, is likely to take place in and around settings similar to that of
Chungking Express, though we're also hoping that Mangold's movie manages to include some emotional cues worthy of Wong Kar-wai's masterpiece.