The Revenant

The Revenant was released in 2015 and was directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu. It won 3 Oscars for Best Performance in a Leading Role, Best Achievement in Directing, and Best Achievement in Cinematography. The Revenant is based on true events and a novel of the same name written by Michael Punke. Plot Synopsis: The film takes place in Montana in the 1820's and follows fur trader Hugh Glass - played by Leonardo DiCaprio. Members of his team include John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy), Andrew Henry (Domhnall Gleeson), Bridger (Will Poulter), and Hawk (Forrest Goodluck). The movie opens up with Glass and his Native American son, Hawk hunting for deer. Soon after this, Glass's team is attacked by a Arikara tribe and the few that are still alive escape to their boat. Back on land, Glass is mauled by a bear and barely survives. Fitzgerald grows tired of carrying Glass so he plans to leave him for dead. Hawk tries to save his father, but is killed by Fitzgerald. This event starts the journey of revenge for Glass as he hunts his son's killer across frozen Montana. ____________MY REVIEW______________ Story and Characters: The story is relatively simple, but there are certain elements to it that set it apart from other "revenge stories". Typically in a story of revenge, the chase is the focal point. You have your characters developed at the start of the film and once the trigger event happens, the mission of revenge is all the movie has left to offer. What The Revenant does differently is instead of being told about our main characters we are shown through imagery, visions, and dream sequences across the film's entire runtime. The dream sequences in particular offer us a look at who Glass is spiritually and where his mind is at currently. They are also the only scenes we get to see of him with his wife. The film focuses greatly on the relationship between Glass, Hawk, and Fitzgerald. Hawk and his deceased mother are Pawnee which makes Fitzgerald very uncomfortable. We first think of Fitzgerald as a cold, ignorant man and ultimately the villain of the story. However, we soon find out that he has a scar on his head where he had been partially scalped by a Native American tribe which shows us that he views the natives in a much more negative light than the other characters. It's the difference in perspective for Glass and Fitzgerald that drives the plot forward and sets the movie apart from others with a similar plot on the surface. Directing, Cinematography, and Visual Effects: Iñárritu and Emmanuel Lubezki have created one of the most beautiful and impressive movies I have ever seen. There are many long, continuous shots of the landscape that give you an idea of brutal and unforgiving the world is, but also how beautiful and untouched it seems. There are so many of these shots that the landscape and world becomes its own character. The sense of scale that these shots bring is also very effective. There is very little CGI used which makes each shot even more impressive and immersive. Sometimes CGI can compromise an otherwise good scene and that didn't happen for this movie. There are some visual effects that are used and they all look very convincing. For instance, the scene with the bear was done in so convincingly that you really believe that Leo is being thrown around and mauled. In other scene, DiCaprio and his horse fall off a cliff escaping some pursuers. Of course, stuntmen and visual effects were used for this scene, but it all comes together nicely and doesn't seem unrealistic in any way. Acting and Writing: The performances across the board are great; DiCaprio won a well deserved Oscar for his. Despite not having much dialogue, he gives a very emotional and convincing performance. DiCaprio is a very familiar actor at this point. He has had many great, memorable performances, but I think he does his best in this film. Hardy also gives a good performance. He's extremely unlikable and you can't wait for him to get killed by DiCaprio's character. He has his typical Tom Hardy mumbling, but I think it works for his character. Forrest Goodluck gives a strong performance as Hawk. Even though his part is relatively small, he leaves a big impact. Will Poulter and Domhnall Gleeson both have smaller roles, but they are important for the plot and they do a great job. The writing for The Revenant is good, but most of the storytelling is visual which is a positive in my opinion. There's no dialogue that sticks out as unrealistic and the characters speak in a way that would be appropriate for the time period. Other Comments: I can't find any flaws with this movie. I can see how some people might get annoyed with the dream sequences or find it too brutal, but I feel that everything is there for a reason. I also know that it took five years to make and that it was difficult for virtually everyone involved, but the results speak for themselves.