American Frontier, Man v. Man or Man v. Nature?

Rating: 8/10 (11 April 2016)

One of the most recent controversial questions in Hollywood is—did Leonardo DiCaprio deserve an Oscar for his role in The Revenant? My answer would have to be yes. Leo's portrayal of Hugh Glass, a frontiersman in the 1820's, who after being mauled by a bear is left for dead by the film's antagonist, one of his own frontiersmen, was powerful, striking and memorable. DiCaprio's commitment to playing this role is undeniable. His dedication was so complete that he became almost unrecognizable in the transformation.
Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu, who previously won an Academy Award for his movie Birdman, directs The Revenant. The film contains many beautifully vivid scenes of the wilderness and the frontier, switching settings between many landscapes including tall trees, green woodland, and turbulent riverbanks to the white cold mountains and icy, panoramic terrains.
At its core, this is a revenge movie about a guy who perseveres no matter what comes at him, (and a lot does); he sets out on a path of revenge. However, the film also portrays the many relationships between the American frontiersman and the Native American people. On one side, we can see the hostile, violent and warfare interactions between both peoples almost at every scene. But we can also see the goodwill and compassionate friendships between some characters. In the main character, there is an established relationship with a Native American woman with whom he has a half Native American son. Their relationship and bond is the one that holds the movie together and makes the viewer sympathize with the characters. There is also the character of Bridger (played by actor Will Porter), who shows sympathy and kindness to Native American characters throughout the movie. I enjoyed that we got to see different points of views towards the Native American peoples. Tom Hardy plays the role of the antagonist that Glass seeks for revenge, John Fitzgerald, a man who is not only malicious to the Native Americans but who only looks out for himself and will put an end to anything that stands in his way. Similar to Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy was almost unrecognizable in this role.
The film does very well at depicting the struggles at the frontier. There's a constant ambiance of violence and hostility that can be felt from just watching most of these scenes. The film depicts an accurate account of man vs. nature. Nature almost seems to be its own character in the film, one who the main character has to fight and is in constant struggle with. Having to survive freezing weather, attacks from animals, and struggling against raging waters, the main character finds a huge obstacle in Mother Nature. Now beware, the movie is R Rated for a reason. There are a lot of violent, gory, bloody scenes and also a rape scene. DiCaprio's character goes through one too many ordeals. And you're stuck wondering "what else can possibly happen to this guy?' Bad luck doesn't even begin to cut it. Or maybe we should say good luck because somehow he makes it out alive, time and time again. Most of the scenes were excruciating to watch. Especially the bear scene when Glass first gets attacked.
The film, though very violent, juxtaposes tender moments between father and son, and Glass and his wife. The scenes that tug at the heartstrings are the flashbacks and the metaphors spoken by his now deceased wife. These flashbacks help with the sentimentality of the story. And it also doesn't hurt that they are beautiful and aesthetically shot scenes.
The Revenant is a high-intensity film that will leave you at the edge of your seat wondering what will happen next. Along with great landscape visuals and strong acting, it makes for a must watch movie. This following quote spoken from Glass to his son, Hawk, captures the overall vibe of the movie, "I will be right here right here. As long as you can still grab a breath, you fight. You breathe, keep breathing."