'The Revenant': The ultra-violent catalogue of horrors is over-the-top
'Revenant' stars Leonardo DiCaprio as a man who survived almost certain death in the Old West to avenge himself against the trapper who left him to die in the Rockies.
'Revenant' stars Leonardo DiCaprio as a man who survived almost certain death in the Old West to avenge himself against the trapper who left him to die in the Rockies.
Alejandro G. I帽谩rritu鈥檚 鈥淭he Revenant鈥� is a reality-based epic about聽mountain man Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio), who survived almost聽certain death in the Old West to avenge himself against the trapper who聽left him to die in the Rockies. Since the trapper, John Fitzgerald, is played聽by Tom Hardy, you know Glass has his work cut out for him.
The film, co-written by I帽谩rritu聽and Mark L. Smith, opens with an聽attack by the Sioux on the hunting party that includes Glass and聽Fitzgerald. I帽谩rritu聽and his whiz-bang cinematographer Emmanuel聽Lubezki (they collaborated on 鈥淏irdman鈥�) make the audience feel like we,聽too, are under siege. The arrows smash and zing with frightening force.聽I帽谩rritu聽is setting the stage for what is to come: almost nonstop graphic聽violence.
Glass is embedded with the trappers because he has lived with Native聽Americans and knows their ways. His murdered wife was Pawnee and聽their son is now serving with him. The Native American connection聽makes him immediately suspect with Fitzgerald, who is pretty much paranoid about everything anyway.
The film鈥檚 most gruesome set piece is a mama bear attack on Glass,聽which leaves him so mauled and near-death that he can no longer continue聽on. Fitzgerald is in charge of looking after him until help arrives 鈥� and you聽know what that means.
The attack is filmed with such up-close realism that most people will聽want to look away. At the very least, it will discourage anybody from聽taking hikes in the Rockies without the protection of a full cavalry. I聽suppose the scene is necessary in that it underscores the extent of Glass鈥檚聽wounds and his achievement in overcoming them as he hauls himself聽inch by inch to the far-away fort where the expedition is garrisoned and聽Fitzgerald awaits.
But the film鈥檚 ultra-violent catalogue of horrors, of which this scene is聽only the most startling, is a case of overkill. There鈥檚 a sadistic edge to this聽movie that crosses the line. (One of its lighter moments is when Glass, for聽warmth, crawls inside the carcass of a horse, which he conveniently聽hollows out for us. You might want to have dinner before you see 鈥淭he聽Revenant.鈥� Or better yet, skip dinner altogether.)
DiCaprio has by now shucked his hyperyouthfulness and aged into聽someone who can convincingly play a mountain man complete with聽shaggy beard. (There was a time not so long ago when it wasn鈥檛 clear if he聽was old enough to shave.) Still, his Glass is a fragile stick figure amid the rugged, snow-capped terrain, and one fears for him in a way one聽doesn鈥檛 for Fitzgerald, whose granitic frame might as well be carved out聽of the Rockies.
What 鈥淭he Revenant鈥� attempts but fails to do is create a larger vision聽from all this survivalist mayhem. It鈥檚 a useful how-to guide for how to聽stay alive after a bear attack 鈥� or a human attack, for that matter 鈥� but it聽doesn鈥檛 soar. It crawls. Grade:聽B- (Rated R for strong frontier combat and violence including gory images, a sexual assault, language, and brief nudity.)