THE REVENANT Review

"I ain't afraid to die anymore. I've done it already."

With the lead up to Alejandro González Iñárritu's newest film, Digger, coming this Fall, I figured it was time to take a walk down memory lane to his highest-grossing film of his career, The Revenant. At the time, the Oscar-winning filmmaker was coming off the heels of making his Best Picture winner, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), and decided it was time to tackle one of his most ambitious films he ever embarked on: telling the survival tale of the American frontiersman and fur trapper, Hugh Glass.

The film follows Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio) during the Arikara War, and he guides Captain Andrew Henry (Domhnall Gleeson) and his trappers through the Dakotas. During one of his hunting trips with his half-Pawnee son, Hawk (Forrest Goodluck), the camp is raided by an Arikara war party, trying to find the chief's abducted daughter, Powaqa (Melaw Nakehk'o). After what remains of Henry's party, Hugh leads the group through the river and up the mountains, where he's attacked by a bear. He comes out of the near-fatal mauling but ends up left behind by his men, and his son gets killed by one of Henry's men, John S. Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy). As Hugh drags himself through the wintry season, he'll do whatever it takes to seek revenge for his murdered son.

If you're familiar with Alejandro González Iñárritu, you'll know that he can be a divisive figure when it comes to his films. Afterall, most of his previous films have a depressing tone to them, whether it's Amores Perros or 21 Grams. So, to see Alejandro go back to this bleaker environment on a high budget and tackling the man vs. nature conflict was an interesting way to tell this story. When it came to the revenge angle, that's where it fell flat for me. I didn't get enough time to connect with Hugh and Hawk prior to the son's death. Had the screenplay taken the time to develop the father-son relationship, I think we could've gotten an even better film.

But that's not to say this was a complete waste of my time, as I found a lot to love from the stunning cinematography, the incredible score, and impeccable action sequences. If you want to talk about the star of the film, it isn't Leonardo DiCaprio; it's the look of the film which was shot by Emmanuel Lubezki, who won his third Academy Award working on this project. It's a gorgeous looking film that was shot through natural lighting and can be quite beautiful to look at. Even ten years removed and I'm still in awe of how they got the look.

Speaking of the look, I'm also impressed by the action set pieces scattered throughout this 156-minute flick. Take for example the opening ambush; any ordinary filmmaker would treat that set piece like some generic action film, add some shaky camera work, and call it a day. With Alejandro and Emmanuel behind the camera in their respective roles, they craft as much chaos as they can to where you can see helpless trappers getting stabbed or shot by arrows in the background, while Hugh gets into a tussle with one of the natives. Not only do you feel the struggles of these characters in the wilderness and in battle, but the film doesn't cut away from these moments thanks to its usage of long takes.

Even the final fight between Hugh and John is pretty brutal. You can see the blood, sweat, and tears poured into the film for these set pieces. I still wince at the injuries they give each other. And for anyone not on board with its glacial pacing, it's worth it just for the set pieces especially its terrific fight scene.

Another aspect I loved was the score, which was a collaboration with Academy Award-winning composer, Ryuichi Sakamoto, and Alva Noto. It may seem repetitive to some, but I found it quite haunting at times. With the booming bass and stringed accompany attached, it makes the film have this haunting tone that feels genuine with how the story is presented.

I didn't even mention that Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy are delivering great performances. Although Tom's character reminded me a bit too much of Tom Berenger's role in Platoon; I don't know if you want to take that as a compliment or a knock against how Tom plays John S. Fitzgerald, but you decide. Looking back, am I mad this was the role that finally got Leo his overdue Oscar? No; in fact, I was elated at the time he finally got his due. Looking back, I can see why others would be disappointed, especially when he's given better performances, such as Once Upon a Time in Hollywood or One Battle After Another.

The Revenant may not reinvent the wheel when it comes to revenge stories, but it works overall due to the technical prowess and solid performances from the cast. If nothing else, there's plenty of reasons for me to love what Alejandro did with shooting the action set pieces. Earlier this year, there was an IMAX screening of this near me celebrating its 10-year anniversary. I for one wish I saw it in that format just for the opening battle sequence, because you see all the effort put on display. A lot of times you see other films trying to copy what The Revenant did with its set pieces, but they always pale in comparison as they either don't have the resources to their advantage or have a strong vision to pull it off.

🍿SCORE = 88 / 100