The Revenant (2015)

Directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu

Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, Domhnall Gleeson and Will Poulter.

There have been a lot of contentious comments surrounding this award contender of late: will DiCaprio return from the dead to claim his long-awaited Oscar in the aptly named film? Or will The Revenant be remembered mostly for the infamous bear-scene that had critics in a sardonic uproar about potential acts of bestiality? DiCaprio has already been recognised at the 73rd Golden Globe Awards, taking home the trophy for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture in the Drama category. However, this pattern of Golden Globe glory followed by an Academy Award snub can be seen with Aviator (2004) and The Wolf of Wall Street (2014). Let’s take a look at the new frontier enthralling thriller from Alejandro González Iñárritu; the esteemed director who brought us Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014), Biutiful (2010), Babel (2006), 21 Grams (2003) and Amorres Peros (2000).

The Revenant is based on true events that have been transformed into the fictional account of Michael Punke’s 2002 book The Revenant: A Novel of Revenge. The story follows the frontiersman Hugh Glass (DiCaprio) and his transcendent journey; spurred on by an unfaltering desire for survival and hell-bent on revenge. When a hunting expedition results in his own party leaving him for dead, Glass appears to be mortally wounded but defies his pessimistic cohort, especially John Fitzgerald (Hardy).

At first, we are drawn into the uncharted territory of America set in 1823, in the wilderness of Montana and South Dakota. The unstable Louisiana Purchase to be exact. Much like the opening to Pablo Fendrik’s The Burning/ El Ardor (2014), the treacherous terrain is established by Iñárritu’s ethereal, convex scope. We meet Hugh Glass and his Pawnee Native American son Hawk (Forrest Goodluck); whose relationship is the crux for this Western revenge epic.

Two major sequences stand out due to the expert cinematography from Emmanuel Lubezki (Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance, 2014, Gravity, 2013 and The Tree of Life, 2011) – the battle between the trappers and the Native American tribe at the beginning and the grueling bear fight. Reminiscent of the Normandy beach landing in Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan (1998), the sudden attack from the indigenous Arikaras thrusts the viewer into the middle of the ambush. At times, the spherical lens is so close to the action that the viewer is guided around in anticipation of what could manifest next in our virtual, peripheral vision.

The recurring theme of rebirth, as linked to the title’s meaning of coming back from the dead, is an effective allegory. Glass is buried in a shallow grave, takes refuge in a make-shift shelter and cocooned in a horse carcass, only to rise from each as if he were a phantom. Glass’ memories and hallucinations while he sleeps accompany these transformations, without stepping too far into the supernatural realm.

As well as DiCaprio being diegetically hindered from ranting or raising his voice for prolonged dramatic effect, Tom Hardy has also veered away from being cast in a typical role. Here, Hardy maintains his intense and pensive stares, yet his anti-hero status from such films as Mad Max: Fury Road (2015), Child 44 (2015) and Lawless (2012) is replaced with a ruthless antagonist. He is intent on seeing DiCaprio’s character dead, to atone for his traitorous Native American relations.

The Revenant is ultimately a harrowing survivalist drama, tempered with a vengeance plot. However, everything is at the mercy of the beautiful, yet dangerous Western landscape. I could not help but compare it to the likes of The Edge (1997), Cast Away (2000) and The Salvation (2014) as one of many narrative and visual comparisons. I would be lying if I said I didn’t immediately think of those controversial murals on display in City Hall that Leslie Knope fails to paint in a positive light in Parks and Recreation (2009-2015), at the mention of Pawnee.

Alejandro González Iñárritu is nominated for the David Lean Award for Direction and Leonardo DiCaprio for Best Actor at the EE BAFTA Film Awards 2016 so there is still hope for more recognition for The Revenant yet.

The Revenant is released in UK cinemas from 15th January 2016. Final Academy Award nominations, including Best Actor and Director, are available on the Oscars homepage here.