The Revenant

The Revenant

 (2016)

A Review by Grant Kanigan

Directed by: Alejandro G. Iñárritu

Written by: Alejandro G. Iñárritu and Mark L. Smith,

               inspired by Michael Punke's novel

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy,

            Will Poulter & Domhnall Gleeson

Rating: 14A

Release Date: January 8th, 2016, (Wide)

Leonardo DiCaprio faces death in The Revenant
© 2015 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation.

     Revenant, as defined by the Oxford English Dictionary is "a person who has returned, especially supposedly, [sic], from the dead." Using this as the title of your latest blockbuster is an intellectually daring and financially risky move. The allusions are enormous; is Hugh Glass, (Leonardo DiCaprio), a Christ figure? Suffering for the countless sins of the white man; a personification of the injustice thrown upon indigenous Native Americans when Europeans originally (re)settled in what is now Canada and the United States? Is he the guilty conscience of European Americans? Or is he simply Hugh Glass, a real life tracker in the wilderness that was North America in the early 1800's? There's no easy answer, and director Alejandro G. Iñárritu seems to posit that there's no single 'right' interpretation, but many valid ones.

     Alejandro G. Iñárritu, director of such polarizing films as Babel, 21 Grams, and last year's best picture winner, Birdman, has here created his masterwork. With a cinematic eye that rivals Terrance Malick, a mind like Francis Ford Coppola's and a ferocious vitality all his own, he has created a timeless story of survival and revenge - seemingly the most simple of tales - yet Iñárritu's eye puts a fresh and complex spin on the human condition. It might seem paradoxical to frame an existential crisis within a survival story soaked in vengance, but Iñárritu does so seamlessly. 

     The Revenant follows Hugh Glass, a tracker for a large group of American fur traders. He's good at his job, and gets along well with just about everyone, save for the unhinged John Fitzgerald, (Tom Hardy). He has a native son and is a widow to a woman who was horrifically murdered by bloodthirsty white men years ago. His son is his only anchor to his life and meaning within it, and Glass does everything in his power to provide, teach and care for his son. During one of their hunting expeditions Glass' outfit is viciously attacked by a native tribe, (who's motivations aren't as simple as they originally seem), who brutally murder the majority of the hunting expidition. On the run to their camp with angry killers on their trail, Glass must carefully and intelligently help the remaining survivors back to their fortress. Life in the 1800's wasn't that easy, however, and Glass soon finds his son dead at the hands of his fellow traders, and himself left for dead after a grisly attack by a bear. Left with nothing to cling to but vengeance, Glass must make his way across the unforgiving winter landscape of the North American landscape dodging hate filled men, animals and weather along the way.
     At face value The Revenant seems like a straightforward revenge tale - it is not - The Revenant is visual poetry. Through seamless editing of breathtaking cinematography, (by Emmanuel Lubezki, fast becoming one of the greatest cinematographers of all time), the audience is treated to ruminations on what it means to be a husband, a father, and a human being; the merits and throes of revenge and the will to survive. Not only are its broad poetic themes important, but the film also showcases the ugly sides of North American history; a history soaked in blood.
     While Iñárritu and Lubezki once again outshine themselves, the cast of The Revenant is equally astonishing. Leonardo DiCaprio, who has had a career of definitive performances, (Titanic, The Wolf of Wall Street, Basketball Diaries, What's Eating Gilbert Grape, The Aviator and The Departed, all Oscar worthy performances in their respective years), is absolutely enthralling as a man pushed past his physical and mental breaking points. DiCaprio's Hugh Glass is hands down the best performance of the year, second only to Tom Hardy's menacing and sociopathic turn as John Fitzgerald, once again proving Hardy is one of the best actors in the cinematic medium. Both men deserve their Academy Award nominations for some truly daring and compelling work. The supporting actors too, are brilliant. Will Poulter, best known as the goofy kid from We're the Millers, showcases a mature and heartbreaking performance; Domhnall Gleeson is convincing as a conflicted American army Captain, and Forrest Goodluck, as Glass' Métis son, is absolutely memorable in his brief but important role. Everyone in the film, from the sound editors to the costume design to the animal wranglers, did an absolutely breathtaking job in bringing Iñárritu's vision to life. Some have remarked that The Revenant's shoot was "a living hell." To that I say, what path to great art isn't? It's been my experience that truly great art cannot be made without suffering, be it through life experience, drawing from history or the like. Sure, some actors might have been chilly for a few days, but they've left the experience relatively unscathed and have become part of a work of cinematic art that's sure to be important for years to come.
     The Revenant not only enthralling but inspirational. Winston Churchill once remarked "We shall draw from the heart of suffering itself the means of inspiration and survival." Hugh Glass does, and through his story, so should we.

GRANT'S RATING: 5/5 STARS 

The Revenant: Trailer #2