Set on the American frontier of the 1820s, director Alejandro González Iñárritu’s The Revenant is less a traditional Western and more a gripping blend of wilderness survival and revenge drama, that skyrockets to the top of any list of the year’s best films. There are so many simply jaw-dropping sequences in this film, another stunning collaboration between Iñárritu and his Birdman cinematographer Emmanuel “Chivo” Lubezki, that it nearly overwhelms in delivering a combination of brutal, visceral hardships, captured with simply mind-boggling visual technique.
The Revenant is based on the true story of hunter and guide Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio), leading a group of fur trappers through hostile territory. When Glass and his party are ambushed by a force of Native American warriors, Lubezki and Iñárritu completely immerse the audience, shooting in the first of many long, uninterrupted takes. You’re not consciously aware of it, and it’s impossible to fathom the timing and coordination that must have been involved to pull it off. It’s a staggering sequence – but the filmmakers are just getting started. In a scene of visceral infamy that frankly redefines what’s possible in movies, Glass is subject to a bear attack that’s as convincing as it is graphic. Mauled and filleted, near death, Glass is betrayed and left for dead by his fellows - abandoned, alone and determined to exact retribution.
Iñárritu and Lubezki seemed to have felt they needed to undergo challenges and hardships that were nearly as extreme as those faced by their protagonist. Filming in chronological order and using only natural light, the entire film was shot in harrowing conditions over nine months in frigid wilderness locations of Calgary and Patagonia. Legendary production designer Jack Fisk has created environments that are beyond authentic. The outpost fort of expedition leader Domhnall Gleeson looks like something they found by going back in time. Iñárritu takes the pulp survival scenario and elevates it to an odyssey of mystical and visionary reckoning of man’s will amidst nature.
As amazing as the film is visually, the cast makes it soar. Leonardo has never been better, and undergoes such a grueling series of punishments – largely without dialogue. It’s a painful, aching portrayal and he carries the film in virtually every scene - an incredibly human, poignant performance. As amazing as he is, I was absolutely blown away by Tom Hardy, embodying the most awful villain in recent memory. A wounded sociopath, Hardy channels a backwoods Jame Gumb accent, unrecognizable and unrepentant. I’ll be rooting for him to win Best Supporting Actor, it’s an amazing performance and the perfect dark counterweight to DiCaprio.
2015 was a stunning year for cinematography, but Lubezki’s work has to be singled out. Having already won Oscars for Birdman and Gravity (for director Alfonso Cuarón), he seems a shoe-in to take home a third for his work here. He’s done groundbreaking work on films as diverse as Sleepy Hollow, The New World and Children of Men, but he delivers his best work yet here, having just won top honors from the America Society of Cinematographers. Lubezki shot in digital, rather than film, capturing incredible wide images and high resolution depth of field, somehow making the available light work to his advantage.
The best cinema creates an immersive experience, while investing you in the fate of the protagonist. The Revenant is at once both dreamlike and hauntingly real.
It’s visionary filmmaking and an absolute must-see.
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