Review: THE REVENANT is a Masterpiece

A quick look through my notes from Alejandro G. Iñárritu's film THE REVENANT reveals adjectives like "epic," "brutal," "grimy," "magnificent," "beautiful," etc.

And none of it is hyperbole.

Based on a screenplay by Iñárritu and Mark L. Smith, and based in part on the novel The Revenant: A Novel of Revenge by Michael Punke, THE REVENANT tells the story of expert tracker Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio). On a fur trapping expedition in 1823 America, Glass is brutally mauled by a bear and eventually betrayed and left for dead by his colleague John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy). Driven by anguish, Glass drags himself out of the jaws of death and across 200 miles for revenge.

THE REVENANT is a one-man show, Leonardo DiCaprio's one-man show, but the star of the film is the landscape, nature itself. Iñárritu has beautifully, and lovingly, crafted a film that showcases the landscape in all of its overwhelming majesty. It's in the crunch of the snow, the sunlight reflecting through the trees, the quiet rustle of leaves and the whistle of the wind. Iñárritu makes brilliant use of his camera - steep angles, continuous shots, unbalanced movement. It is a part of the film, breathing fogging up the glass, snowflakes gently landing on the lens. It is truly a sight, visceral and maybe the closest we'll ever get to experiencing nature from the confines of a dark, cold movie theater.

Iñárritu does not shy away from the harsh brutality of the American frontier. (Also scrawled across a half torn out page in my notebook was "like THE MARTIAN, but somehow even more inhospitable than Mars.") The men are dirt-streaked and mangy. Lips are chapped. Breathing is labored. The threat that lurks around these characters comes in the form of an arrow through the neck, or a bear. Sometimes, it's a man looking out for his own best interests.

DiCaprio should win all of the awards to be awarded this year for his portrayal of Hugh Glass - and he'll deserve it. His performance is incredibly vulnerable, physically and emotionally draining. And his scenes opposite Hardy are a special treat. When DiCaprio and Hardy are on-screen, it's hard to take your eyes off of them. As Fitzgerald, Hardy is a 19th century sleaze; he's a paranoid, racist thief with a (literally) killer sense of self-preservation - matched only by DiCaprio's unwavering sense of vengeance. Both play grizzled frontiersmen, each with developed pasts that inform who they are now. Supporting actors Domhnall Gleeson, Will Poulter, and Forrest Goodluck contribute admirably to create an incredibly well-acted film.

THE REVENANT is unquestionably, undeniably the most ambitious film of the year. Period. It's not just Oscar-worthy, sham award show that it is, it is one of the best pictures made in a long time.

Directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu and starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy, THE REVENANT is rated R for strong frontier combat and violence including gory images, a sexual assault, language and brief nudity.

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