10. The Bombing Of Nagasaki Is Taken Seriously
I was prepared to give up on The Wolverine if it turned the nuclear bombing of Nagasaki into a tasteless action scene. Fortunately, Mangold delivers a thrilling sequence that respects the power and horror of that day. When viewed in retrospect, Mangold introduces most of the movie's major themes and character arcs in this one scene... and does so with skill and subtlety. There's little doubt that Logan could survive a nuclear blast - but without Yashida's help, he would have remained trapped in his cage for God knows how long, which would have become a personal hell for Logan. The potential awfulness of Logan's immortality is established from the first scene. It's also interesting how this scene deals with two very different cultures. To modern sensibilities, Yashida and Logan both make honorable, compassionate choices. Logan saves Yashida from death, and Yashida saves Logan from a fate possibly worse than death. Despite being a few generations removed from this time period, I wonder how Yashida's choice to not commit seppuku will play to modern Japanese audiences. (I'm going to plead complete ignorance on this and would love some feedback.) At first glance, we're supposed to believe that Yashida makes a sane, rational decision. Instead, Yashida betrays his personal code of honor to stay alive, which foreshadows his plan to go all super-villain in his old age and steal Logan's powers. Of course, I could be reading this all wrong - but that's a testament to the movie's complexity in its best moments.