There’s a reason that the Western genre was once one of the
most popular (and to an extant still is) film genres of all time, as the very
frontier provides quite a versatile canvas for some of the greatest filmmakers
of all time. While many of them included the adventurous journeys of John Ford,
more often than not they were used to enhance grittier, bleaker stories, such
as Sergio Leone’s intense Man with No Name trilogy, and Clint Eastwood’s
Unforgiven, using them to enhance the horrifying actions and deadly
consequences that came with the territory. Even Quentin Tarantino, despite his
comical indulgences, has used it well to enhance the vilest characteristics of
humanity.
For all these reasons, it seemed only natural for Alejandro
Gonzalez Inarritu – fresh off a Best Picture Oscar win for last year’s Birdman
– to adapt to the setting with The Revenant, as such a setting seems to fall
perfectly into his earlier portfolio. If The Hateful Eight was an examination
of the most evil side of human beings, than The Revenant is like a haunting
trip through Hell itself.
Loosely inspired by a true story and based off the Michael
Punke novel of the same name, frontiersman and navigator Hugh Glass (Leonardo
DiCaprio) resides among a small settlement of other hunters and trappers, but
after going into the woods to hunt one day, Glass is viciously mauled by a
bear, and is likely to die because of it. His son Hawk, and fellow trappers Jim
Bridger (Will Poulter) and John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy) stay behind to care for
him until he dies and bury him proper,
but after Fitzgerald’s brutal murder of Glass’ son (unbeknownst to
Bridger), and fear that the Native-American Arikawa tribe may find them, the
two leave Glass for dead. Surviving despite his grueling injuries, Glass
wanders, crawls, and stumbles through the wilderness with one instinct in mind: revenge.
With his usual niche in focusing on characters in
unforgiving atmospheres and locations, it’s not hard to see why a director like
Inarritu would be drawn to this type of subject matter, and indeed, the movie
becomes his show from beginning to end. Compared to the verbose and satirical
jabs of Birdman, The Revenant is practically a silent film, limiting the use of
its own dialogue, and even lead star DiCaprio speaks most of his lines in non-English
languages. One may assume the limited dialogue would be less impressive in the
long run, but the film more than makes up for that through its visual
storytelling, with Inarritu complementing his script (co-written by Mark Smith)
through his fantastic attention to detail.
It’s been no secret that the production of The Revenant was
very rocky, even leading to reported physical altercations, given Inarritu is a
technical perfectionist, but I’m thankful to say that that same dedication came
through in every second of the film. With his DP Emmanuel Lubezki, Inarritu
frames the western landscape like a godforsaken halfway gate between paradise and a
merciless underworld, perhaps closer to the latter given the amount of
obstacles Glass faces. Often shot with very little actual sunlight or warm
lighting in any way, and making extensive use of long takes, the landscape
challenges Glass like something out of The Divine Comedy, with each new
experience more deadly than the last, and the eerie sound work emphasizing the
blistering and shivering cold atmosphere. Visceral to the point that even its
strongest viewers may find themselves squirming, Inarritu refuses to shy away
from the bloody and harrowing test of endurance on these individuals, examining
the terrible lengths and tribulations that such humans would put themselves through
with uncompromising detail.
But much like Birdman, if Inarritu is the brains of the
film, then the actors are the soul of it. With Mad Max and Legend also to his
credit in 2015, Tom Hardy has easily been one of the MVP’s of the year, and
this is assuredly the best performance of his career. A gruff and violent man
as unforgiving as the very land he walks through, his cowardly, racist, utterly
despicable John Fitzgerald embodies the foulest of what the landscape offered
up, a “man who killed God” so to speak, made cynical by the harsh conditions he
works in, and yet, somewhere within such a hateful, vicious man, Hardy still
manages to elicit some pity for the character. Dare I say something even sympathetic
despite such irredeemable actions.
The film also makes fine use out
of its much more sympathetic supporting players like Domhnall Gleeson and Will
Poulter, but it’s, to no one’s surprise, Leonardo DiCaprio who shines brightest
of them all. Wandering around the icy fields like a half-dead phantom, never
before has DiCaprio shown so much haunting emotional desolation or physical
devastation, with his Hugh Glass repeatedly subjected to some of the most
grueling trials imaginable, often scrounging to live with whatever guerilla
skills called upon him, but more importantly it’s his facial expressions and
eye movements that are the meat of his performance, to the point that the man
completely disappears into his character. By the time the movie has reached its
end, you don’t doubt for a moment that this man has seen unfathomable torture
and come out the other end bloodied and scarred beyond recognition.
A different beast from Birdman
altogether, while I still prefer that previous film (it is one of my all time
favorites, after all), The Revenant is one of the most haunting movie
experiences I’ve had all year. Simultaneously punishing and rewarding, Inarritu
once again proves why he’s one of the most unique and inimitable voices in
modern filmmaking, making subdued and powerful showcase out of an excellent
ensemble cast, and absolutely drains its viewers by the end. I felt like I’d
been hit by a truck after its finale, and for a story like this, I should feel
that way about it. Even now, I can’t wait to experience it all over again.
Man, I need something light to
raise my spirits again.
***** / *****
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