A film that has already gained ample recognition for its 12 Oscar nominations, The Revenant has hit number one in box offices across America for the past few weeks. Starring the veteran actor Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant takes the basis of a true story and turns it into a cinematic journey.
DiCaprio stars as Hugh Glass, a frontiersman working for a fur-trading outpost. While out on an expedition, Glass is attacked by a bear and suffers life threatening, brutal injuries.
After being left for dead by one of the other frontiersman (Tom Hardy), Glass lets his thirst for revenge guide him through the harsh wilderness. Still recovering from his wounds and alone with next to no supplies, Glass faces a harrowing and harsh journey back to civilization.
It will come as no surprise for me to say that DiCaprio provides an impressive performance in the film. His ability to dive completely into the role of Glass, even going so far as to actually eat a raw bison liver for one of his scenes in order to illicit a genuine reaction, made his portrayal all the more engaging.
Basically, he really wants that Oscar. Though most of his dialogue mainly just consisted of a series of grunts ranging in tone and length, he was still able to convey the intense struggle of a man left alone and for dead, giving everything he had to survive long enough for revenge.
As far cinematography (Emmanuel Lubezki) goes, the film was beautifully shot. The harsh landscape was so tangible that oftentimes I felt cold just watching the movie. The scenes of Glass struggling through the snow and mountains with hardly any clothing or food were shot with a focused intensity that made his struggle palpable. The more intense scenes, such as the bear attack, were also shot in such a way that made the atmosphere almost too uncomfortable at times.
The scene of the attack itself was long and brutal, and I found myself squinting through my eyelids to avoid watching the bear come back for more. The film’s director, Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu, only shot the film in natural light, allowing for a truly beautiful cinematic environment to be created.
Watching The Revenant certainly feels like a journey in itself. It’s essentially two and a half hours of watching DiCaprio get beat up over and over again in the freezing cold, going to incredible lengths to survive.
The film is an intense experience. It’s the type of movie that leaves you with unsettled feeling even hours after watching it.
Was it my favorite movie? Not necessarily. But I do admire the craft that went in to putting the movie together. Just because it may not be my favorite genre of film doesn’t take away from the fact that it was masterfully put together. I recommend seeing The Revenant, simply for the unique and intense experience that you’ll have in viewing it.
