The Revenant
Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy
Directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu
He endures a brutal bear attack, frigid temperatures, and a murderous Tom Hardy; the big question that remains – will The Revenant finally spell Oscar glory for Leonardo DiCaprio? Does he deserve praise for the physically demanding role? Absolutely. Is it his best work as an actor? Hardly.
Birdman director Alejandro González Iñárritu, following up from last year’s Best Picture win, constructs a hallucinatory epic that is equal parts thrilling and tedious. Based on true events, the story follows frontiersman Hugh Glass’ (DiCaprio) quest for vengeance after being left for dead by his ‘fellow’ fur trappers in the desolate American wilderness of the 1820s. Shot mainly on location in the wintry wilds of Alberta and utilizing only natural light for a realistic perspective, the gritty film’s sprawling runtime requires more patience than Tarantino’s latest given its total absence of dialogue throughout many sections.
Still, the lack of script is forgiven given Iñárritu’s remarkable ability to convey how his actors went through absolute hell to make the picture. The audience can actually feel the brutality endured by Glass while recovering in sub-zero temperatures following that much-talked about bear mauling.
The Revenant is brutal, gory, beautiful, and haunting but also borders on hubris. The other problem is Glass himself; we watch him endure all manner of horrors but never get a sense of who he is, where he comes from and, most importantly, why we should care.
The film will no doubt hold audiences in a vice-like grip, but only for so long.
