The Wolverine (2013)

Grief and guilt can weigh heavier than any physical burden, and sometimes the bravest thing we can do is find a reason to keep living. In the crowded superhero summer of 2013, James Mangold's "The Wolverine" broke many of the genre's rules and came out a winner. Driven by vengeance, anger and existential angst, it also carries a sense of higher purpose and a surprising quietude that set it apart from "Iron Man 3," "Man of Steel" and even the earlier X-Men films. With Hugh Jackman reprising the role that made him a star for the sixth time, it favors subdued tension and genuine character development over nonstop action, and its quieter moments are every bit as satisfying as its elegantly staged set pieces. The story picks up after "X-Men: The Last Stand," with Logan still grieving the death of Jean Grey (Famke Janssen) and living as a hermit in the Canadian wilderness. Then a lethal young woman named Yukio (Rila Fukushima) finds him with a message from an old friend. Logan is whisked off to Japan, where dying billionaire Yashida (Hal Yamanouchi), whose life he saved during the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, offers to repay the debt by freeing Logan from the curse of his immortality. Inspired by classic samurai films, "The Wolverine" plays like an Eastern Western. Among the key players are Yashida's granddaughter, Mariko (Tao Okamoto), who battles Logan's haunting memories of Jean for his heart; Yashida's ruthless son, Shingen (Hiroyuki Sanada); and his icy doctor, Viper (Svetlana Khodchenkova), a mutant who may actually be able to kill Wolverine. Loosely based on Chris Claremont and Frank Miller's 1982 comic miniseries, it builds to a showdown with a towering adamantium-armored samurai, along with a standout fight atop a speeding bullet train. With action that serves the story and a temperament that nods to both samurai legends and James Bond-style fun, it's the least clichéd superhero film of its year - high praise indeed. Just don't leave before the credits finish rolling.