While Leonardo DiCaprio has long been one of my all time favorite actors, over the years his desperation for an Oscar has gradually become more noticeable. Even though he has a wide variety of challenging, unorthodox roles and some exceptional performances under his belt, he arguably has yet to escape the spectre of Jack Dawson in Titanic- perhaps his most mild-mannered character and yet the one that launched him into superstardom. Since then he’s gone out of his way to erase whatever may remain of his teen idol image, which isn’t easy when you look so naturally boyish.
Having frequently worked with Martin Scorcese, a collaboration with acclaimed director Alejandro G. Iñárritu seems like a near perfect fit, the latter fresh off an Oscar win for Birdman. So they decided to rub their hands together (shout out to fellow writer Magiconz) and film an adaption of the famous story of frontiersman Hugh Glass’s harrowing real-life tale of survival, with some noticeable artistic liberties taken in order to amp up the drama.
Based on the non-fiction novel of the same name by WTO ambassador Michael Punke, The Revenant is an aggressive and beautifully shot movie about man vs. nature and his quest for revenge, but perhaps not having as much substance or hidden meanings as its visuals and atmosphere implies. It certainly isn’t juvenile or anything like that, but what you see is basically what you get.
The target of Glass’s wrath is John Fitzgerald, played by Tom Hardy as a money hungry mercenary who’s only focused on capturing as many pelts as possible during their party’s expedition through the unsettled Midwest in the 1820’s. This becomes a point of contention when the group is ambushed early on in the film by a legion of Arikara, scattering and decimating the pelters. They collectively decide to head back to their main base at Fort Kiowa, and in one of the key fictionalized factors of the story, the prejudiced Fitzgerald doesn’t exactly get along too well with Glass’s adopted native son Hawk.
Later, Glass has what will perhaps go down as his least favorite scouting trip ever when he is quite literally manhandled by a well-designed CGI bear in what is a rather disturbing scene. I mean it, you can quite literally hear the bear’s claws tearing into human flesh. The group does its best to make their way back to camp with the injured Hugh in tow, testing Fitzgerald’s patience even further. His attempt to put him out of his misery results in Hawk’s death, which only adds to Glass’s fury as he bravely makes his way through the wilderness to catch up with the main group and get his payback.
Along with the ominous and harrowing story, Chivo Lubezki’s cinematography and the score from Alva Noto and Ryuichi Sakamoto combine to make The Revenant a generally engaging experience- so long as you come in with the knowledge that despite some strong performances across the board, you’re still getting a fairly one-note story so far as its intentions.
The strength of Dicaprio’s performance is almost unsurprising at this point, but no less impressive- if arguably also excessive. Among such things as crawling through the mud, braving the blisteringly cold elements and gutting a dead horse to sleep inside its carcass to ensure he does so, Leo’s overwhelming desire to be taken seriously as a great actor- which he is- resonates across every frame he appears in. Yet as much as his portrayal of Glass is an overcompensation, he still makes him into a perhaps not saintly character, but still a very engaging one that the audience will still be willing to pull for. I don’t think this is among his absolute best work, but a merely good Leo is still leagues above most of his peers.
He’s flanked by another good villainous turn from Tom Hardy as Fitzgerald, perhaps trying to internally justify his actions to his right-hand man Jim Bridger (an empathetic Will Poulter). There are no truly bad performances in The Revenant across the board, but it’s essentially Leo’s show. I enjoyed it the same way I did watching Robert Redford trying to survive the sea in All Is Lost– so much of what makes their performances so effective is rooted in their expressions and body language.
That said, the film’s symbolism is rather vague at times, and that combined with the simplicity of the narrative make me feel it’s not as profound as it thinks it is- elements I think, say, Mad Max Fury Road, another gritty but basic chase movie, handled better so far as putting meaning behind its concepts that most of the audience can pick up on rather quickly. Still, Revenant is an atmospheric and intense western that has plenty to offer if you’re a Dicaprio fanboy/fangirl or you just like meaty performances in general. Slightly recommended.