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I absolutely loved director James Mangold’s Logan. While I had high hopes going in, I’ll admit the finished film was even better than I imagined. Unlike the previous X-Men and Wolverine films that have come before, what’s unique about Logan is that it doesn’t have to set up the next installment or worry about holding back because of the rating. Because Mangold and Hugh Jackman had complete freedom to tell this story, they were able to make the movie they wanted to make and bring fans the version of Wolverine we’ve always wanted to see. I really can’t give everyone involved enough praise for such a job well done, and to Fox as well for letting them make this movie. And I haven’t even gotten into how awesome Patrick Stewart was as Charles Xavier or the rest of the supporting cast including Dafne Keen, Boyd HolbrookStephen MerchantRichard E. Grant, and Elizabeth Rodriguez. For more on Logan you can read Matt Goldberg's review here.

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Image via 20th Century Fox

Recently I got to speak with Mangold, and during the interview he talked about how he can’t believe they got away with making this movie, how they crafted the amazing action scenes, why even seeing a knife going into skin will give a film an R-rating, the length of his first cut, and a lot more. Check out what he had to say in the video above, and below is exactly what we talked about followed by the synopsis and some images.

James Mangold:

  • How the studios are always thinking about the next chapter, but Logan is telling one of the closing chapters.
  • How it’s a very personal movie and how he can’t believe they got to make it.
  • Talks about crafting the amazing action set pieces.
  • Why even a knife going into skin on a movie screen will mean it’s an R or worse.
  • Reveals his first cut that he was happy with was 2 hours 21 minutes and how they “didn’t lose too much.”

Here’s the official synopsis for Logan:

In the near future, a weary Logan cares for an ailing Professor X in a hide out on the Mexican border. But Logan’s attempts to hide from the world and his legacy are up-ended when a young mutant arrives, being pursued by dark forces.

For more on Logan, be sure to check out some recent write-ups below:

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Image via 20th Century Fox
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Image via 20th Century Fox
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Image via 20th Century Fox

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