The last time Alejandro Gonzáles Iñárritu took to the big screen, he carried the awards season with him as his wildly inventive Birdman swept all before it. Now he’s back with a more subdued but just as intriguing film in The Revenant. Where Birdman was style and movement, The Revenant is stillness and contemplation. And even as Iñárritu throws in some of his trademark stylistic flourishes, this is a very different film experience.
I saw this film shortly after In the Heart of the Sea, and I was by that stage becoming a little tired of “survival themes” (as human privation and – sometimes – cruelty are euphemistically termed by Hollywood). After all, we’ve also had the likes of Wild, Everest and The Martian among others this year. However, the sheer scale and exceptional vision provided by Iñárritu enabled me to get past that and see this is more than just a survival story. Indeed, it has several themes in common with now-classic Westerns like Dances with Wolves and Unforgiven in its depiction of (and reflection on) a world that was already disappearing at the time the film takes place. It’s not nostalgia, but a recognition that change is inevitable, although not always for the better. It also delves into some fundamental issues of human interaction, including how kindness and brutality interplay with each other.
The film opens in the late autumn of 1823 in the then-largely unexplored wilderness of the Louisiana Purchase (acquired by the United States some 20 years earlier), probably in the area that is now North Dakota. A fur trapping camp (and somewhat surreptitious military expedition) is attacked by a group of Native American warriors. Forced onto a raft, a group of survivors heads downriver. The leader of the party, Captain Henry (Domhnall Gleeson) consults with their experienced guide, Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio) about the best course of action. Glass advises that the warriors will surely be following, and they’re basically sitting ducks on the raft. He suggests hiding as many pelts as they can and tracking a course over land to the nearest outpost, which is still many days – if not weeks – away. When Henry gives orders accordingly, John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy) is definitely not best-pleased. He wants the money the furs will bring, and sees leaving them behind (even with the prospect of returning some time later to retrieve them) as his financial ruin. Glass and his son Hawk (Forrest Goodluck) set out to track a course for them, when Glass is horrifically injured in a bear attack. Already miles from anywhere, the prospect of carrying the severely-injured Glass with the small party might condemn them all to doom. Despite Fitzgerald’s urging, Henry cannot bring himself to “finish off” Glass to enable the party to continue on their way. Instead, Henry offers a substantial reward to any who will stay behind with Glass. The money-hungry Fitzgerald agrees (seeing it as some recompense for his lost furs) along with young Jim Bridger (Will Poulter).
With the main party gone and Glass immobilised, Fitzgerald renews his offer to end things quickly for Glass – all he has to do is blink. When Glass steadfastly rejects this, Fitzgerald decides to take matters into his own hands and smother Glass. But when Hawk stumbles on the scene, he intervenes. Helpless, Glass can only watch as Fitzgerald kills Hawk and hides his body. When Bridger returns, Fitzgerald convinces him their only hope of survival is to leave Glass behind. They half-bury him alive in a shallow grave and leave him for dead. But Glass is made of sterner stuff than Fitzgerald can imagine, and is determined to live to see justice meted out to Fitzgerald for killing Hawk.
Those of a squeamish disposition should be aware off the bat that there are some very strong scenes in The Revenant, and the much-discussed bear attack is only one of them. It has to be kept in mind this was a brutal time and the frontier was hardly the place for shrinking violets, so the brutality depicted in the film is probably appropriate in context. That said, I wonder if the film would have been more effective if one or two of these scenes had been cut. It comes in at a whopping 156 minutes as it is, and I query whether losing one of these scenes would have detracted from it in any way.
Thankfully though, Iñárritu lightens the mood somewhat in the course of Glass’s struggles. There are several dream sequences in which Glass sees both Hawk and his Native American wife (suggesting perhaps she is also dead). Double Oscar winner Emmanuel Lubezki (Gravity) is once more in fine form, providing stunning images that showcase not only the stunning scenery (shot in the US, Canada and Argentina) but also Iñárritu’s creative approach to the source material. The script was developed by Iñárritu and Mark L. Smith from Michael Punke’s novel of the same name. By the way, in case you’re wondering, the term “revenant” basically means “one who has returned, especially after a long absence”, though more figuratively is also applied to a ghost.
One of the big talking points of The Revenant is Leonardo DiCaprio’s performance in the leading role, and whether it will bring him a best actor Oscar. It’s certainly a performance of raw intensity and power. In a year where many of the real powerhouse turns have been provided by women, you’d have to say DiCaprio is the frontrunner. In this film, he’s ably supported by Tom Hardy (Legend) as Fitzgerald. Certainly the contrast between the venal Fitzgerald and the more spiritual Glass is hard to miss. Domhnall Gleeson (Star Wars: The Force Awakens) is fine though under-used as Captain Henry; while Will Poulter (We’re the Millers) has some good moments as the wet-behind-the-ears Bridger.
Although I didn’t enjoy The Revenant quite as much as Birdman, it’s nonetheless an intriguing film from a major director. This is definitely a more visceral experience, and you need to give yourself over to that to get the most out of it. While tough going in places, Iñárritu delivers a film of power, and occasional majesty.
Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, Will Poulter, Lukas Haas
Release Date: 7 January 2016
Rating: MA15+
David Edwards
David Edwards is the editor of The Blurb and a contributor on film and television
