The Revenant (2016) Film Review

The Revenant is a story about a fight for survival. The story behind The Revenant's production is similar in the sense that its director and lead actor are banding together to fight a common foe – the Academy. While Alejandro G. Iñárritu finally hit gold last year with the critical darling Birdman or (the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), previous films such as Babel and Biutful failed to get past the competition; whereas poor Leonardo DiCaprio is so well-known for his constant attempts at Oscar glory that he's become an ongoing meme that'll only end if he actually gets that prestigious award. So enters The Revenant, complete with reports of a tremendously difficult production and filming process which ended up doubling the budget and lead to co-star Tom Hardy dropping out of Suicide Squad. So whether the strenuous task of the making was a success for those involved is quite a deal. 

Based on both the real life events that Hugh Glass (here portrayed by DiCaprio) underwent and the 2002 novel which describes such events, 1823 sees Captain Andrew Henry (Domhnall Gleeson) and his party ambushed by a wave of Arikaria people which whittles his people down to around 30 men, including his navigator Glass and his half-Pawnee son Hawk (Forrest Goodluck). Once the surviving men go downstream with only a fraction of their assets and valuable pelts, it leads to a slight divide between those who agree with Glass and Henry about walking across the land and the few who agree with Fitzgerald (Hardy) about continuing downstream regardless of the risk of further attacks. But things are further escalated when Glass is attacked by a mother bear with wounds which could easily lead to his death. So, of course, the furious Fitzgerald uses his first opportunity to ridden the obstructing Glass while he's at death's door by burying him alive and disposing of Hawk without fellow trapper Jim Bridger (Will Poulter) knowing. However, Glass survives this abandonment and fights his ails for the sake of getting revenge; traveling through vast lands of winter whilst avoiding the menacing Arikaria people and a party of their French allies. 

Yes, it's your standard revenge storyline adapted in an ultra-stylistic manner and set in the 1820s. Whilst not a criticism on the film itself for opting for that sort of tale – it is a true story, after all – it is a tad disappointing just how simplistic the story type is portrayed in most films. And in the case of The Revenant, it's similar to the main conventions but leaves ample space and time beforehand to set up the bonds between characters (in particular that between Glass and Hawk) and spends the majority focusing on the journey back; ending in a gripping third act where we finally see Glass and Fitzgerald battle in an incredibly satisfying and mildly gruesome fight. Certainly, the path there is an incredibly long one at around 150 minutes, and there is plenty of footage that could have been cut, but nonetheless it's shown well. Nothing astounding, but pretty good.

Leonardo DiCaprio has had a lot of coverage for his role here, mostly due to the working conditions he had to go through compared to both his fellow actors in the film and the competition at the Oscars (but also because of the meme thing), and going from what we see here it's understandable why. He's a talented actor, and in these conditions where he's restricted by either his movement or his ability to speak it proves all the more just how good he is – so that's the Best Actor gong in the bag there. His villainous comrade and fellow Oscar nominee Tom Hardy is a tad stereotypical in terms of character traits, but his portrayal of the maddened party-maker is an intense one; being as hateable as designed despite little depth into what exactly makes his character tick. Newcomer Forrest Goodluck does an admirable job as the non-English speaking member of the party and acts as a strong driving force for DiCaprio's Glass; Gleeson's leader goes absent during the middle act but remains a god if not underrated actor; and Poulter gives off a good show as a younger member of the group who's lead astray by Fitzgerald. As for the various characters in which we see over the course of the film, they are well-portrayed but lacking in depth or focus, with the French party appearing repeatedly  with little depth into their alliance with their frenemy and an ally of Glass having an inconsistent re-dubbing. 
The teamwork between Iñárritu and cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki remains a strong combination following their work on Birdman, with the constant long shots and beautiful landscapes blending to a beautiful-looking movie that makes a strong blend of styles between the never-ending one-shot of Birdman and the usual editing fare of the modern blockbuster – perhaps sounding a little inconsistent, but in actuality done to much fanfare. It only proves how great the bond between the two filmmakers remains after all their years of working together. Perhaps the director was a little hard with the way the shots are made, but it's great that he opted for actual conditions than green screens.

The Revenant has a simple story of revenge which has been elevated to the standards of greatness not by its screenplay like its Oscar contemporaries, but by its stunning visuals and grand performances. It's a great picture, but much like Iñárritu's last picture it's just a smidge overrated. 8/10.