The Revenant: The Return of the King

Rating: 9/10 (30 January 2016)

Occasionally a cinema-goer views a film which acts as recompense for all of the others which fall flat and leave us disappointed. A film which offers an experience, and reminds us that a truly great picture must be seen in the cinema, on film. 'The Revenant' is one of these.
An American fur-trapping expedition in Montana in the early 19th century is cut short by an attack by Native Americans leaving the group of trappers stranded in hostile territory. Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio), the groups tracker, is critically wounded and left behind at the behest of John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy) who pleads that it is for the good of the group. The expedition leader Captain Andrew Henry (Domhnall Gleeson) orders Fitzgerald and a contingent including Jim Bridger (Will Poulter) to bury the wounded Glass as soon as he succumbs to his wounds. The group ultimately leave Glass for dead, who then must make the journey home on his own - to exact revenge.
Director Alejandro G. Iñárritu executes another visionary project which raises the bar for modern cinema yet again. 'The Revenant' has a near unique aesthetic which was created with minimal CGI (a major coup) and an incredibly well organised team which shows us a very real world and allows us to focus on performance and character rather than one of the many things which could distract owing to poor quality.
The cinematography in this film is of apex quality - a certainty to secure a 3rd Oscar for cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki, a master of his craft. A series of incredible set pieces remind us of why 'Birdman' won best picture. 'The Revenant' is easily one of the most beautiful and impressive pieces of filmmaking ever committed to the silver screen. In order to maximise the viewing pleasure, it is suggested that a viewer finds the largest screen in town.
Where the film falls down is when it is compared to the original film 'Man in the Wilderness' starring Richard Harris. In the original, our protagonist has a series of flashbacks of his life which inspire him to continue on his seemingly impossible journey. These flashbacks are critical in order to understand the resilience of the beset Glass. In the re-imagining, our hero has a far clearer and more tangible motivation - revenge. This renders these flashback relatively unimportant and contrived - and one cannot help but deem them a pale imitation of the imagined familial reunion in 'Gladiator'.
The film also seems to have a compulsive need to outdo itself constantly and continue to expand the action past the boundaries of plausibility, which is perhaps a requisite for a modern Hollywood picture. In the original, our hero merely makes the journey - an absurdity in itself. This is enabled by seemingly super-human healing abilities. In the newer version, our hero has recovery rates to rival Wolverine from X-Men. He also undertakes a series of breathtaking feats including extended hand to hand combat and a sequence where the character literally 'jumps the tree' - a set- piece which could make Michael Bay blush. The quality of the film earns it a wide margin of error on this part - but it is certainly tested.
Leonardo DiCaprio delivers a benchmark portrayal in the lead role. The performance does have an element of 'cut & paste' from previous roles. Extreme pain is an emulation of 'Cerebral palsy phase' from 'The Wolf of Wall Street' and steely determination is identical to aggressive denial in 'Inception'. I would not hold out for an Oscar from this film owing to the fact that very little is new in terms of testing his depth and/or scope, perhaps his next venture will gain him that elusive statue.
Tom Hardy steals the show with a brooding performance as the villainous Fitzgerald. A character who has a pragmatism which, for the more honest viewer, may be easier to identify with than one would like to admit. Hardy apparently lost out on being in 'Suicide Squad' owing to shooting delays - which I trust is a tiny price to pay when the final product was shown.
Special mention has to be made for the fresher faces in Domhnall Gleeson (Dredd, Star Wars: Episode VII) and Will Poulter (Son of Rambow, We're the Millers). One hopes these actors have laid a foundation upon which to build in the near future which may lead to more challenging roles and/or lead roles. This author has had a chance to observe first hand Gleeson giving a sterling performance on stage which dwarfs everything which he has delivered on screen - we wait with baited breath for him to gain the chance to exhibit his, as of yet, hidden talents.
One of the better films of 2015 and of the century. Not just a must watch film but a film which must be watched on the big screen.