Theatrical Review: The Revenant

It has been almost six days since I saw The Revenant and my initial reaction has had time to settle and the dust has cleared so I can give a shorter and more succinct review on how I feel about this film. So, without further ado here we go.

Leonardo DiCaprio, in what is truly one of the most intense and challenging roles of his career, plays a fur trapper in the 1800s named Hugh Glass who one day, while scouting ahead of his party for a way back to their fort, is attacked and brutally mauled by a mother grizzly bear protecting her cubs. With his body ravaged and seemingly beyond repair the leader of the party, Captain Andrew Henry, played with loyal compassion by Domhnall Gleeson, offers a bonus to anyone who will stay with Glass until the inevitable and give him a proper burial. Three volunteer. One of them is Glass' half Native American teenage son Hawk, played by newcomer Forrest Goodluck, who doesn't care about the bonus and won't leave his father's side for anything. The other two are a young novice trapper named Jim Bridger, played by Will Poulter, and a sociopathic malcontent named John Fitzgerald, played with feral and malicious intensity by Tom Hardy. The rest of the party moves ahead and the three volunteers are left to care for a shattered Glass until his death. However, Fitzgerald has other ideas. When his attempt on Glass' life ends with Hawk's death Fitzgerald convinces a frightened Bridger to leave with him under the threat of imminent Native attack. Left in a shallow grave to die Glass, fueled by rage over the murder of his son, claws his way out of the dirt and sets out on a path of revenge against the man who destroyed everything he had in his life that he cared about. 

The Revenant is as brutal and unforgiving a film on the audience as the environment it is set in is on the men who traverse it. Filmed in extreme remote locations in Canada and Argentina under hostile conditions and using only what light nature can give, no artificial studio lights were used, The Revenant is a truly remarkable achievement in film. The wilderness is beautiful yes, but that beauty masks a cold heart and punishing intent. Nature is as much a heavy in this film as Fitzgerald is. DiCaprio has stated that The Revenant is one of the toughest and most challenging shoots he has ever been a part of, but boy does it pay off in a performance so far removed from anything he has ever done before that he is virtually unrecognizable under the broken body of his character. DiCaprio nails every moment. His commitment to his craft shines through everything. Tom Hardy is equally up to the task as Fitzgerald and he makes for a man we can actually fear because he isn't some mustache twirling villain. Fitzgerald is a true glimpse into the darkest heart of humanity left unchecked. Will Poulter is exceptional as the frightened Jim Bridger, whose growing guilt and shame over what has happened Poulter nails on the head. Forrest Goodluck makes a stunning impression as Hawk, Glass' teenage half Pawnee son. Hawk's demise is a savage gut punch and Goodluck's performance ensures that the memory of it lingers over the entirety of the rest of the film. Finally, but not least at all, Domhnall Gleeson impresses greatly as Captain Andrew Henry. Gleeson perfectly essays a man who is fiercely loyal to his men and his outrage over what has transpired, once Glass' fate has become known to him, is blistering in its authenticity. Domhnall played in four acclaimed films last year, and I've only seen two, the other being the recent mega successful Star Wars The Force Awakens, but from everything I've read and seen he has proven to be an actor with exceptional range and command. I want to see more of him. The rest of the cast all fall in line respectfully well, but it is these five men who form the center of the story. 

I mentioned the use of all natural light in this film and I was not kidding. The cinematography is simply stunning, using fire, moonlight, sunlight, and real shadows cast to paint a portrait of the wilderness unlike any other. Emmanuel Lubezki, who worked with director Alejandro G. Inarritu before on Birdman and is a frequent collaborator with Alfonso Cauron, deserves all of the accolades for pulling off something that would seem from the outside to be impossible. The production design by Jack Fisk is minimal and authentic to the period. The visual effects, because of course there have to be some, are exceptionally well done and virtually invisible. The score by Ryuichi Sakamoto, Alva Noto, and Bryce Dessner is sparse, but driving nonetheless, blending into the background and not calling undue attention to itself. To cap it all, Inarritu's direction is magnificent under what must have been hellish conditions. 

The Revenant is not like any other film you've ever seen before. It is a stunning work of art from a visual and aural perspective and features one of DiCaprio's finest, if not his finest, performances to date. It's harsh and uncompromising and certainly not a film that begs for repeat views on a constant basis, but will I pick it up on Blu-Ray when it is released? Proudly. Just make sure you have the stomach for it because this film will test you. 

4.5/5

Alright, alright, alright. I've been busy with work and all so it took me a lot longer to finally sit down and type this up than I would have liked, but here you go. My next theatrical review might be for either The Boy, The 5th Wave, or Deadpool. We'll see. Until then you can expect some more Blu-Ray film reviews and other articles to spice it up. Thank you to all who read this Blog of mine. I hope you have a great day and weekend upcoming. I may have a Blu-Ray film review of Everest coming up in a day or two so check back with me. And The Intern most likely. Thanks ya'll!