If This, Then That: From Denzel To Joel, To Wolverine - Here's Why 'Logan' Is Less 'The Last Of Us' and More 'Man On Fire'

Ever since the first images and trailer for the movie Logan (2017) dropped, fans on the internet made mention of the movie having a decidedly The Last of Us feel to it, and now that there is going to be a live action adaptation of the video game, the comparisons have resurfaced.

The last outing of fan favorite Wolverine on screen was amazing on its own but comparisons with the popular video game were unavoidable. This outstanding action-adventure survival horror is a milestone in video game storytelling, with its engaging dialogue and breathtaking action sequences. The aesthetics of Logan and The Last of Us are very much alike and the main characters do share some similarities, but I'm here to tell you that it's all just on the surface.

I can easily finish this article by saying that if you enjoyed Logan, then you will enjoy The Last of Us, and vice versa, but there is a third movie that will make this straightforward comparison, an interesting debate.

The Last Men On Fire

The ending of The Last of Us is a very twisted and depressing conclusion in an already twisted and depressing setting, but what makes it so soul crushing is the fact that you cannot classify the main character Joel as a bad guy or a good guy. What's very clear is that the character is a selfish one. Logan is nothing like him.

Logan has never been a good guy per se, but he always tries his hardest to be a better man. Joel was bitter, directing his anger toward life itself, until Ellie showed up to give his life meaning again. But what kind of meaning was that?

Before we answer that, let's take a look at John Creasy, played by the ever amazing Denzel Washington in the 2004 movie Man on Fire.

The action film depicts a similar character to Logan and Joel: tired, burnt out, surviving day to day and just wanting to live out his days in absolute isolation. They look at the world as something that left them behind, even though they spent their days trying to define it. Are they a product of the world they live in? Or is this world a product of the actions of men like them?

While the answer may remain unclear, what is clear is that these men each felt there was nothing else to live for. Ghosts of their former selves, they are dead men walking. Until, one day, someone appears in their lives who changes everything they know — and this is where the narrative of Logan may lean more toward Man on Fire than it does The Last of Us.

You Give Me Reason To Live

Joel of The Last of Us is a man who is defined from the very beginning of the game. The gamer is already preparing our brain for the worst after seeing Joel's daughter die in his arms, and that's only the beginning. Surely there's nothing worse than that to come, right?

Then Ellie appears. Right away, Joel's fatherly instincts kick in and he protects Ellie, no matter what. The relationship between Ellie and Joel is one of the highlights of this game, but you can't shake the feeling that his intentions are biased and this somehow makes him a very selfish character. There is a point during the game that everything Joel does is more for himself than for Ellie. Is that a good or bad thing? That's for the gamer to decide.

Man on Fire's John Creasy is an ex-CIA paramilitary operations officer and former U.S. Marine Corps Force Reconnaissance officer who is now a drunken and suicidal shadow of his former self. He offers his services as a bodyguard for a security firm in Mexico run by his old friend Rayburn.

Creasy is tasked with guarding "Pita" Ramos, the nine-year-old daughter of a wealthy businessman. Pita soon softens Creasy, who becomes a sort of surrogate father to the girl, allowing him the opportunity to mend his bad habits and stop him going down a dark path. This might seem similar to Joel in the Last of Us, but there is a key quote from the character Rayburn that separates these two characters:

"She showed him it was OK to live again."

While Pita might have showed Creasy that it was "OK to live again," Joel finds in Ellie a reason to live, which is very different. Joel uses Ellie to justify his actions that border on the immoral. Don't get me wrong, Joel is an outstanding creation, but I am trying to make the case that Logan and Joel are nothing alike.

Pita is kidnapped by a group of very dangerous men involved in a very deadly plot. Creasy goes into beast mode and destroys everything and everyone in his path in a bid to rescue Pita. But what is it that separates Creasy from Joel? Simple: The reason behind their intentions.

Creasy sees Pita as the only good thing this rotten world has on offer, and that she deserves better. He has the power to save something pure and damned if he doesn't try his best. This world, although undeserving, owes Pita a place in it.

Whereas Creasy sees Pita as a worthy reason to live, Joel's reason to protect Ellie is more about giving his life a meaning. He lost a daughter and he will be damned if he loses Ellie. Joel's intentions seem noble, but to him the world can go fuck itself if that means he can keep Ellie at his side.

Creasy doesn't want to keep Pita in his life. Rather, he wants to give Pita an opportunity to live her life. Joel wants Ellie to be a part of his life.

And that's where I see Logan going — an old war dog with nothing left in the tank but with the opportunity to give someone else a chance.

To me, Logan is more Creasy than Joel and even though these are all tortured men with a chance to somehow atone for their sins, the devil is in the details. One thing is for sure, these men are not afraid to deliver righteous retribution.

In The Last of Us, Ellie says something vague that has so much meaning behind it:

"I’m still waiting for my turn."

Her turn to die? To live? To be someone else? The three young ladies in the respective works might pose these questions to themselves at a crucial point in their lives, and the three men charged with their protection may have something to say about that.

John Creasy and Logan want Pita and Laura to have the decision of what to do with her life in her own hands, whereas Joel might have ended up robbing Ellie of that opportunity.

Regardless, if you enjoyed Logan, you will enjoy both The Last of Us and Man on Fire.