A story of revenge and survival coupled with a performance by leading man Leonardo DiCaprio was enough to lure viewers to theaters this weekend to see the premiere of “The Revenant.”
Directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu, this beautifully shot film is based on the brutal and unbelievable experience of mountain man Hugh Glass, portrayed by DiCaprio. While Glass guides an American beaver trapping company through the wilds of the Louisiana Purchase, nearly the entire group is killed during an attack by an American Indian Arikara tribe. The survivors, including Glass and his half-Pawnee son, Hawk, flee downriver as they desperately try to find the nearest outpost. After Glass is mauled by a bear, he is left for dead, half-buried in a shallow grave after John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy) murders his son. After pulling himself from the dirt, Glass sets off crawling, limping, walking and then running to get his revenge on Fitzgerald.
The plot alone is enough to interest audiences, but the visuals by Iñárritu and cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki carry the film. DiCaprio’s mesmerizing performance and the movie’s flooring visuals are made for the big screen. Rather than using artificial lights, the pair took a more unconventional route and used only natural lighting. This, coupled with stunning portrayals of the wilderness through the use of Argentinian and Canadian landscapes, gives the film a quasi-Garden of Eden beauty.
This raw, natural world is filled with gore and brutality, all captured through long shots in wide frames to capture Glass’ struggle for survival and vengeance. A particularly poignant example: When the grizzly bear brutalizes Glass, Iñárritu captures the moment in one long, agonizingly painful shot, conveying all the pain and horror that would be lost in small cut shots. This scene, along with many others, tethers viewers to the screen, as Iñárritu seems to dare audiences to look away.
The gritty realism may turn off some viewers. In Glass’ journey there are particularly graphic scenes such as the disembowelment of a dead horse so a character can spend the night in its carcass, the mauling scene and a brief shot in which a women is raped.
Don’t come to “The Revenant” expecting poetry. While the visuals shine, and the sheer physicality of DiCaprio’s performance is spectacular to see, it falls short in its prose. While Westerns in general aren’t known for their elegance, the lack of dialogue leaves viewers wanting for some kind of memorable lines.