Director: Alejandro G. Iñárritu
Writers: Screenplay by Mark L. Smith and Alejandro G. Iñárritu, based on the novel by Michael Punke
Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy
The Revenant is a film about several different things. It's about willpower, it's about love, it's about loyalty, it's about man versus nature. But most of all, it's a story about revenge. The movie is a fictionalized account, based on real life events that happened to legendary nineteenth century frontiersman Hugh Glass, of a fur-trapping guide (DiCaprio) who is mauled by a grizzly bear, and then abandoned by members of his company who are supposed to be tending to him until he dies. The man responsible for leaving him, John Fitzgerald (Hardy), also kills his son right in front of him while the crippled Glass watches powerless. Glass then must, through incredible willpower and survival skills, somehow find a way to survive the harsh winter wilderness alone and gravely injured; and ultimately not only does this, but also sets out to track down Fitzgerald to get his revenge.
Normally, a revenge tale would not be of much interest to me. The concept of "revenge" to me is just doing wrong for the sake of doing wrong; it doesn't fix anything in and of itself, but rather just causes more suffering. And most of the time, films about revenge seem to reflect this. However, as I began to learn more about The Revenant in the months leading up to its release, I eventually realized it would be a must see. The main reason for this is the incredible cinematic experience it provides. The film is not only engrossing and keeps you on the edge of your seat from start to finish, but it is also immersive and feels incredibly real. This is due in large part to the filmmakers' dedication to absolute realism throughout most of the movie. Shot on location in harsh winter wilderness in Canada and Argentina, and with all natural lighting, the setting looks stunning and feels completely real. The mark of master cinematographer Emmanuel "Chivo" Lubezki is keenly felt, particularly in the camerawork, often giving an uncanny feeling of being a spectator right within the action. The film is also carried by a host of impressive performances, particularly from DiCaprio and Hardy. DiCaprio finely executes the intensely physical demands of his role, and Hardy acts and sounds more believably like a man from the 1820's than perhaps any other actor in the movie. There are points where the story and the action stretches the boundaries of believability slightly, but overall the film remains rooted in realism and is an incredible cinematic achievement.
Going into the movie, however, I was still unsure of whether the film would go beyond the typical scope of most revenge stories and find something original to say. To its credit, beyond the revenge thing, it does explore several humanist themes throughout. The most prominent of these for me is the incredible power of the human will. This is displayed through the character of Glass as you watch him overcome injuries that bring him near death, deadly forces of nature, and hostile enemies. It would be nice to see a bit more insight into what is driving Glass to keep pushing on, but it's evident that he has a fire within him that will not be extinguished easily. The most obvious answer is that he is motivated by a desire to not just survive, but also to get his revenge. Though this may be true, I was happy that the ending managed to create a bit of an original twist on things. Without giving away too much, I'll say that there is some ambiguity over whether Glass feels fulfilled by his efforts to avenge the wrongs that have been done on him. This is summed up by an instance near the end, where Fitzgerald says to Glass something along the lines of "your boy ain't comin' back", and this seems to cause a change in Glass, though it's hard to tell exactly what. Basically, the film lets you decide the ultimate result of Glass's journey. And it also makes you think a little bit about the morality and utility of revenge, something I can appreciate.
The Revenant is overall an incredible film. See it for the experience, but while you're at it think about the many themes it so keenly taps in to.
Sources:
Image: http://www.fandango.com/movie-news/the-revenant-trailer-watch-leonardo-dicaprio-fight-a-bear-and-tom-hardy-749539
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1663202/?ref_=nv_sr_1
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0523881/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cr22
