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THE REVENANT
[2015, USA - English]
THE REVENANT
[2015, USA - English]
One just can't review Alenjandro G. Iñárritu's latest epic adventure film The Revenant without touching on (or rather as I'd prefer to put it - appreciating) the laborious eight months of intense and moiling shoot the entire cast and crew endured while filming in remote locations in British Columbia and Alberta. Iñárritu's insistence on doing things for real, making the cast go through conditions not so different from those faced by the film's characters, has had the entire team spending two hours everyday to travel to the filming locations, and working under subzero temperatures that could drop as low as -40C. The ambitions of the Oscar-winning director has extended to a grit commitment of having the story filmed chronologically, using only natural light. In other words, it only gave them shooting windows of two hours’ adequate sunlight each day. Iñárritu has shared that a film like this “is a homage to the original cinema tradition", where directors go places and risk challenges. Budget inevitably ballooned, with initial sum of $60m rising to $90m, then finally $135m.
DiCaprio plays Hugh Glass, experienced frontiersman guiding a fur-trapping expedition through the wilderness of the Dakota territory in 1823. The team is led by Captain Henry (Domhnall Gleeson), with team members including Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy), Bridger (Will Poulter) and Hawk (Forrest Goodluck), Glass’s son by a Native American woman. Following a massive attack by hostile Native Americans which operates as the brilliantly beautiful opening scene, and a gruesome bear attack that leaves Glass on the brink of death, the remaining men decide to abandon Glass in order to increase their own chances at making their way back to the barracks safely. The film then moves on detailing Glass’ turbulent throe, in precise anecdotes of his painful fight for survival, which eventually transforms into a compelling quest for revenge.
The film is as real as it can get, with every scene and every expression depicted in such organic presence and pure visceral energy, audience is placed right into the scene with the characters. Iñárritu wants to make you uncomfortable, so savage in some of the scenes that you will be left gawking or twitching. That is the only way to allow audience to be totally immersed in the experience. And what an experience it was for me. Coupled with Emmanuel Lubezki’s cinematography and Iñárritu’s fluid long takes (effectively applied though not exactly and extensive like what we saw in Birdman), the entire journey is transformed into a cinematic spectacular. Already bagged the Oscars for Best Cinematography twice consecutively for his work on Gravity and Birdman, I am not surprised at all that the Mexican cinematographer will be getting his third in February this year. In fact, it will be my wish as well for Iñárritu to bag the Best Director again after his triumph with Birdman last year.
OK we also need to talk about the bear scene. Iñárritu’s insistence on minimal use of CGI is admirable, limiting computer imagery to almost exclusively to create animals (including the bear). Watching how DiCaprio is pummeled and virtually torn into pieces by the beast will leave audience aghast. He was in fact really thrown around with the use of wires and other apparatus, with the bear being digitally added later. And suffice to say, this is not the only shocking (and amazing) scene involving animals that is in store with this 156-minute drama.
The plot is left thin and scarce, intendedly. However that would be the only missing piece for me to conclude it as a true masterpiece. I’ve never had issues with one-note films and don’t get me wrong, The Revenant is rich in emotional grit (making you root fervently for the antagonist’s fight and survival) and carries a rather strong, positive underlying message about the exploitation on the indigenous communities. I just wished they could have included a tad more of delving into Glass’ past, how his roots intertwined with his demised Native American wife. After all, the film is helmed by few but strong actors. Hardy gives one of his best performance I’ve seen so far, and of course DiCaprio drags us along in his excruciating journey. You can almost feel every thud, every blow he takes, his heavy breaths fogging the screen at close-ups, the strained vocals through his drenched agonizing facial expressions and dribbling and frosting beard. This man went to hell and back for his performance, it’s time they gave him the much deserved Oscar that has eluded him throughout his two decades of great acting.
Rating: A-
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