"The Revenant" Review

Title: The Revenant

Directed by: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu

Screenplay by: Mark L. Smith and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu

Year: 2015


The Revenant is a film that snuck up on me. I did not hear about it until a few weeks before its release, which really caught me off guard. An Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu directed film starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, and Domhnall Gleeson, with cinematography by Emmanuel Lubezki? Where do I sign up? However, having talent behind and in front of the camera does not automatically mean it will translate to the screen. So does it?

While on an expedition of the American wilderness, Hugh Glass is mauled by a bear and left for dead while the rest of the team heads back to their base. However, Glass manages to survive and now seeks revenge on those who left him behind. This story is inspired by true events.

Leonardo DiCaprio is one of cinema's most recognized and revered stars, both for his acting abilities and commitment to his roles. These two qualities culminate strongly in The Revenant as DiCaprio commands the screen, playing Hugh Glass. His physical acting truly shines here and he is more than up to the challenge for this extremely demanding role. However, Tom Hardy is equally good as John Fitzgerald. This could be Hardy's best performance thus far, as he sells the despicable nature of his character and is able to stand strong against DiCaprio's powerful presence. Hardy's performance cannot be overstated.

Also good in this movie is Domhnall Gleeson as Andrew Henry, leader of the expedition. In my Star Wars: The Force Awakens review, I said that Gleeson's role in that film was a great way to cap off his successful year. However, I forgot that he was in this movie while writing that review. To correct that statement, Gleeson has had quite a year, and ending on The Revenant is a strong way to finish 2015. He proves to be a magnificent character actor with great range. And Will Poulter does a career-best performance as Jim Bridger. If his performance is any indication, he has a bright future ahead of him as an actor.

Between last year's Birdman and now The Revenant, Inarritu is very quickly becoming one of my favorite working directors. He has stamped this film with his style and vision. His ideas are effective and he proves that, with the right talent, he can pull extraordinary performances from his actors. However, one of his creative choices in this picture does fall a little flat. Throughout the film, Glass has dreams and flashbacks to his family and past, which are commendable from a visual standpoint, but have no bearing on the story. These moments feel out of place and slightly break the pace of the film. There are not many, and all of them are beautifully done, but the film would have felt tighter with their exclusion.

Speaking of beauty, Lubezki seems be going for a third consecutive Oscar nomination (and possible win) with his camerawork. Lubezki has crafted one of the most gorgeous looking films in recent memory. The entire film was shot in natural light, which is unfathomably difficult and must have made shooting this two and a half hour picture one hell of a nightmare. But the effort is clearly shown and enhances the overall experience. You feel the cold air leap off the screen and chill your bones and the use of excessive long takes succeeds at sucking you into the action. There are many instances of "the impossible camera," which is my term for a camera angle or movement that seems impossible, having no idea how it was constructed or shot. Lubezki is a master of his craft and when paired with Inarritu, the two become a dangerously powerful cinematic force.

The Revenant certainly earns its R-rating because, quite frankly, this film is brutal. Nothing really matches that one scene in Bone Tomahawk, but the film comes pretty damn close on multiple occasions. The bear attack is vicious and unbelievably well shot. The other action sequences are also very well done and filmed, with extremely detailed blocking and choreography. These scenes are pure, white-knuckled action pulling no punches and teeming with tension. In addition, the makeup effects sell the gruesome aspects of the film and appear very realistic, especially those done on DiCaprio's body.

The editing is top notch, with the film running at a comfortably slow pace. This is a slow burn, but when the film burns, you feel heat. The action scenes help change things up every now and again and are sprinkled in at the right times, without ever damaging the overall pace of the movie. Though the film is about two and a half hours long, it never overstays its welcome. Though slowly paced, the picture is never boring nor does it seem to meander, save for those dream sequences I mentioned earlier.

The Revenant is, quite simply, an achievement in filmmaking. Inarritu has done it again, giving us another knockout of a film. The Revenant is such a masterfully helmed picture, with outstanding performances, breathtaking scenery and cinematography, and brutal violence. This is such a good survival story as well as a revenge tale and it immediately sucks you into its world with the opening action scene. You feel you are in the 1820s, you feel the cold, and you feel exhausted after watching it. This is a true cinematic experience that should be experienced in the theatre. A few misplaced segments are not enough to detract from the entire film. This is a marvelous movie that will have you transfixed from start to finish.

Grade: A