The Revenant – Film Review by Pat V.

Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu (as Alejandro G. Iñárritu)
Writers: Mark L. Smith (screenplay), Alejandro González Iñárritu (screenplay) (as Alejandro G. Iñárritu)
Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, Will Poulter

If five-times nominated Leonardo DiCaprio does not win the Oscar this year, then there is no justice, for his performance in Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s The Revenant is truly extraordinary. Iñárritu, himself the winner of three Oscars in 2015 for Birdman, presents a tale set in 1823 among the frontiersmen of Montana and South Dakota, based on the real life story of Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio), a Scots-Irish fur trader, who was left to die in the wilderness by his companions during a hunting expedition after an attack by a grizzly bear. It is not a spoiler to say that Glass survives and swears revenge on one of those who abandoned him, John Fitzgerald, played by an unrecognisable Tom Hardy. Glass’s relentless struggle to get back to civilisation – perhaps to frontier habitation would be more accurate – and exact revenge on Fitzgerald is the core of the narrative.

From the opening shots DiCaprio is mesmerising. Swathed in furs and bear skins, he looks larger than life and exudes an animal strength that sustains him through a harrowing attack by Native Americans, the betrayal of his comrades and a seemingly endless trek through a desolate Montana winter wilderness – not to mention the encounter with the grizzly. However, this is not just another one-dimensional Hollywood action hero. DiCaprio is more stoic than one-dimensional heroic, the macho endurance counterbalanced by the tenderness he shows for his son, Hawk, (Forrest Goodluck) who accompanies him on his hunting expedition and by the flashbacks that convey the life he has lost.

While DiCaprio inevitably dominates, there are several other noteworthy performances. Tom Hardy’s John Fitzgerald exudes anger and greed as a fur trapper who feels cheated when forced to abandon his haul. He manipulates his impressionable young companion, Bridger, (an excellent Will Poulter) and forces him to abandon Glass to die in a shallow grave. Domhnall Gleeson impresses in his role of Captain Andrew Henry, the leader of the expedition, a man of integrity and courage but too trusting of those around him.

While the performances are outstanding, what makes this film extraordinary is the gritty, muscular direction of Iñárritu and the captivating cinematography of Emmanuel Lubezki (Oscar winner for Birdman and Gravity). The harsh filming conditions, which convey a real feeling of savage authenticity, have been described by a number of the actors. DiCaprio has described the frostbite, swimming in frozen rivers and eating raw bison liver to convey the realism of that scene. Gleeson has told of how Iñárritu explained to his cast that they were going to be “in pain” during the shooting. He has spoken too of how the cast were “put through the ringer” during the filming. The same is true for the audience: expect to spend much of this film on the edge of your seat.

Lubezki’s cinematography is stunning; long sweeping shots of desolate snowscapes contrasting with claustrophobic panic during the Indian raids and dramatic scenes on raging rivers. There is little dialogue which is fortunate because it is often delivered in muttered, guttural tones and is hard to decipher, but this is a minor criticism. This is not a film for the faint-hearted. Some of the scenes, the awful injuries incurred, the rape, the cauterising of DiCaprio’s neck wound and many more, are hard to watch but they are intrinsic to the story and are never gratuitous. There is an authentic quality to the film that is totally captivating. The stunning scenery, the superb performances and the masterly direction make it a pleasure to watch and will surely guarantee it a classic status in years to come.