The Revenant

Hello dear reader. It’s been just over two months since I last offered up an opinion on the wonderful world that is my cinema experiences. Two long empty months with nothing to show for it other than the distant glowing reflection of all things Forcey and Skywalker. There are of course perfectly good reasons for this, of which some of you will be aware of. For those of you who aren’t, let me simply say this. Life got in the way and it needed to. It’s as simple as that…

So what do I have on offer for you this time? Well, to boil it all down to its constituent basics, The Revenant is a revenge film that stars The Great Gatsby and Bane. Now obviously there’s a little more to it than that and coming in at a shade over two and a half hours long, the Mexican director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu hasn’t scrimped on the details either. Following up on his Oscar winning ‘Birdman’ triumph of 2014, he turned his attentions towards a little known true story and with a bit of artistic licence and a sprinkling of Hollywood magic has turned in a finished product that is something of a rarity these days, an original film.  The true story in question is about Hugh Glass, played here by Mr DiCaprio, a frontiersman who is left for dead after being mauled by a bear, in South Dakota, 1823. 

It’s worth pointing out that The Revenant it not what would be described as a ‘happy happy joy joy; film. It’s bleak and deals with personal tragedy, betrayal and one man’s struggle to right some wrongs and to see justice prevail. Just think nineteenth century Batman but without the utility belt. Having said that though, what you do get for your time and money is possible one of the greatest cinematic and visually astonishing films to ever grace the silver screen. The landscape, which some would argue is a character in itself, has a perfection and resonance and is the glue that holds the story together. If the internets and more importantly, the studio publicity machine, are to be believed then there was no artificial light used during the entire shooting process. This is a little white lie as Inarritu has stated for the record that at least one camp fire scene need to be enhanced but apart from that all you see of South Dakota was filmed using the two to three hours of natural light available. This is no mean feat, especially when you consider that locations, weather and the logistics of moving a film crew into position aren’t always the easiest things to control. Another detail that the promotional machine for Twentieth Century Fox would very much like you, the viewer, to believe is, that the film does not have any computer generated imagery in it at all and Inarritu is quoted as saying “If we ended up in green-screen with coffee and everybody having a good time, everybody will be happy, but most likely the film would be a piece of shit”. Now, this is all fine and dandy until you start analysing what’s been seen. We have a meteorite hurtling through the sky, on queue and as luck would have it, heading in the right direction. The bear attack sequence, which lasts a good five minutes. There are very visceral shots of people being impaled with arrows and this isn’t done just using ‘clever camera angles’. However, my personal favourite ‘none cgi’ effect is when Mr DiCaprio rides a horse of a cliff to escape a pack of chasing Native Americans. If you’ve seen the film you’ll know exactly which scene I’m referring too and if that was done without the use of computers then Mr Inarritu, I doth my cap at your ability to not only train the greatest stunt horse in the world but also to convince, what I hope was a stunt double, to happy ride off a reasonably high precipice with only a couple of snow clad spruce trees to aim for. 

It is only fair to point out that the natural light ‘white lie’ and the computer ‘fib’ should in no way stop you from watching this film. Neither issue detract from the overall finished product at all. The film is almost flawless in its execution and when complimented by the acting talent on screen too, it’s almost certainly made itself the frontrunner for Oscar gold this year. 

Speaking of the acting talent, its two main leads Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy hardly put a foot wrong here. Having first worked together in Christopher Nolan’s ‘Inception’, their chemistry on screen is consummate. Although both have contrasting acting styles, they play off each other very well and both bring different qualities to the table. I think DiCaprio saw this film and its making as a very important journey he wanted to take. After having read the script He called Tom Hardy and told him that he wanted him to take the part of John Fitzgerald, the man who ultimately betrays DiCaprio’s Glass. Hardy, who was at the time attached to Suicide Squad, dropped out of that and agreed to make The Revenant. A decision that earned him a best supporting actor nod at the 2016 Oscars. 

The Revenant has over the last twelve months attained an almost mythical status throughout Hollywood as being a film that could or indeed can, lay claim to being the toughest movie shoot in history. However I suspect a certain Mr James Cameron (The Abyss or Titanic), Francis Ford Coppola (Apocalypse Now) and possibly even David Fincher (Alien 3) would have something to say about that. Tom Hardy, who apparently is a big believer is keeping the crew happy, had several onset arguments with Inarritu and is said to have chocked him out at one point after a disagreement. The Revenant was shot chronologically over an eighty day schedule, which isn’t easy in itself, however there were production problems from the outset and they had to move the entire shoot on at least three separate occasions, chasing the snow. DiCaprio’s commitment to the cause and the finished performance he deliveries is astounding and I hope he ends up with a small gold statue for his troubles. He’s definitely deserved it.

I'll finish by saying this. If you get the opportunity to watch The Revenant, I would strongly advise to you take it. It is a rare film of at times exceptional beauty and you’re unlikely to see its equal for a very long time. The subject matter won’t be to everyone’s tastes and there will be people who won’t want to watch it because of the actors in it but seek it out, all the same. It is at times unapologetically brutal and graphic but I would argue that it needs to be in order to tell the story. As to what subject Inarritu will decide to tackle next, the jury is still out, but is Birdman and The Revenant are anything to go by then you can place a large amount of money on it being original, thought provoking and will also have ‘A-list’ actors lining up around the block to audition for it. 

Twitter Review:

There are bears. There are woods & there are other assorted strange animals, but Winnie the Pooh this isn't.

#IfYouGoDownToTheWoodsToday

Useful Links:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1663202/?ref_=nv_sr_1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoebZZ8K5N0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcFLuiqDm8g

http://www.empireonline.com/movies/revenant/review/