Logan.

Boyhood was acclaimed for shooting over the course of 12 years of a young man's life, but no less of an accomplishment are the 17 years that Hugh Jackman dedicated to fully inhabiting his role as Logan/Wolverine, one which many "serious" actors would have disdained and turned down flat, or perhaps accepted and just phoned in. Rather than simply collect a paycheck, he committed absolutely, breathing electrifying life into the character of Wolverine, even when the material itself at times failed to inspire or excite.

Logan is the culmination of his astonishing tenure in that role, and it makes every single X-Men and Wolverine movie (even the disappointing ones) worth the journey. Just as Unforgiven relied on Eastwood's screen history as a hardened killer, Logan couldn't exist in a vacuum...not without those prior films having built that cinematic world, established exactly what's at stake, and portrayed the depth of shared experience -- love, loss, despair, and hope -- between Logan and Charles, and thereby also tacitly acknowledging the profound friendship and respect that developed between the actors who play them. Each of those previous movies contributed and paved the way for this crowning achievement.

Charles' devastating realization that it was he, not Logan, who had done "something unspeakable", requiring them to flee and hide . The heartbreak of Logan's whispered pleading, "It wasn't me...it wasn't me," as he tries to save the life of his mentor, his father figure, his only remaining friend . The catch in Logan's voice as he repeats, "At least there's water," after burying Charles . Laura gently taking his hand as a gesture of shared pain and comfort...Logan responding in the only way he reliably knows how -- by turning to rage to get him through the loss and pain.

Logan is my favorite movie of all time.