“The Revenant” starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy is, hands down, a masterpiece. Director Alejandro González Iñárritu (“Birdman”) put his visual works to the test, and I’ll say he didn’t disappoint, with every cinematic shot capturing astounding visual poetry. The film was shot in several locations including Argentina, a few parts of Canada, Montana, some parts of Arizona, and Mexico.
The story is set in the 1820s, and is all about a battle of survival. The film itself is raw and gripping, scene after scene, on just about every level, with developed characters who simply just want a way out for themselves. That is, until fur-trapper Hugh Glass (DiCaprio) gets attacked by a bear while on an expedition, and has to fend for himself. DiCaprio’s role in this film is among my instant favorites – even beyond his work in “Titanic,” “The Wolf of Wall Street,” “Inception,” “Shutter Island” and “The Departed.”
After being left for dead by his own men in the cold and in despair, he crawls to find and salvage what he can. Glass was left behind after the grizzly bear attack based on the decision of one man, John Fitzgerald (Hardy). This is where the journey begins.
My favorite scenes in the movie are his moments of peace and his endless inner journey. The scene where Glass meets the native of the land is an all-encompassing moment that provides the film’s pinnacle. The native saved Glass from starving and freezing to death. I also enjoyed the amount of distrust and ruggedness that the antagonist portrayed. Hardy is another favorite actor of mine, and his performance in this is also among my favorites. His ruthless and gutsy portrayal of Fitzgerald truly made it an edge-of-your-seat experience.
The road to recovery and redemption for Glass truly begins after he witnesses the murder of his son by Fitzgerald. If there’s one thing that’s certain, it’s that Glass takes a full beating in this movie by anything and everything that comes into his path. The success story within the movie is mesmerizing, but not surprising, given the dollar signs that went into production of this film.
The movie’s budget was an estimated $135 million, and according to Entertainment Weekly’s Jan. 10 rundown, was the first movie to unseat “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” for one-day sales when it posted $14.4 million on Jan. 9, compared to “The Force Awakens,” which came in at $10.8 million that day. EW reports that, including its two-week run in limited release, “The Revenant” earned $39.6 million domestically.
I am not going to give away any spoilers. What I will say is the ending brings together the themes of vengeance and peace in a masterful way. The meaning of “survival of the fittest” is brought to life in this film, from the score, the long-standing shots, and certainly not least of all, the acting.
There should be no problem for DiCaprio to get his Oscar this year, for those who are worried about that kind of thing. As a matter of, fact DiCaprio already has a Golden Globe for his efforts, and the speech he put forth this past weekend at the awards show underscored the important message of support for our world’s indigenous population.
Tom Hardy may even land a best-supporting nod in this film, because it is just that good. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if this film sweeps the night away with awards at the Oscars.
So please movie fans, Leo fans, Hardy fans, whomever – if you want to see a great movie, go see this one; it’s a spellbinding adventure you won’t soon forget.
Jake Pendleton, 21, is a student at Nashua Community College. Born in Beverly, Mass., and raised in Milford, he enjoys writing about his passions which include sports, music, movies and all forms of entertainment. He also enjoys filmmaking and photography. Jake posts regularly at indieball.wordpress.com, and will be doing an internship with Manchester Ink Link this semester. He can be reached at jpendoy21@yahoo.com.
