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Rating: 4 out of 5
Before I go any further, I want to say that I have seen the Revenant before. It’s been years since I’ve seen it but watching a specific YouTube video. I was watching a YouTube video from Top Trending. The episode was “5 Most Badass People of All Time.” Who came in at #5?? Mr. Hugh Glass! Most people wouldn’t know of Hugh Glass. Hell, even I didn’t know about this badass muthasucka! He was an American frontiersman, fur trapper, trader, hunter, and explorer. Glass is known for his survival after being left for dead by his companions when he was mauled by a grizzly bear.
The Revenant is directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu. The story is one of the most insane stories about a man who was mauled by a freakin’ grizzly bear and somehow travels more than 200 miles to make it back to the nearest American settlement while looking for revenge. Sometime in the 1820s, Hugh Glass (DiCaprio) and his son, Hawk (Goodluck), help lead Captain Andrew Henry’s (Gleeson) trappers through the territory of the present-day Dakotas. The wilderness is untamed and unforgiving during the winter months. As the party is collecting pelts, the company’s camp is attacked by an Arikara war party. Shit goes down as many are killed, and the war party is looking to recover its Chief’s abducted daughter, Powaqa. Glass, Hawk, and many of the party manage to escape while leaving behind some pelts. While trying to navigate back to the distant fort, Glass is attacked and gets his ass whipped by a grizzly bear who leaves Glass brutally mauled. Yet, Glass manages to kill the bear also with a knife. Dude is straight up GANGSTA!! As the trappers struggle to get back to the Fort with Glass badly hurt, Henry asks for a couple of men to stay behind. The men who volunteered were John Fitzgerald (Hardy), a freakin rough and evil-looking dude, and Jim Bridger (Poulter). As the snow begins to fall, Fitzgerald sees an opportunity by killing Hawk and tells a lie to Bridger, which leads him to abandon Glass. With pure rage and the will to survive, Glass starts a 200-mile journey through the cold terrains, threats on all sides to get the vengeance he wants.
I want to start this off by talking about the performances of Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy. Leo was excellent in this role. Now I will say that this wasn’t his best role, but damnit, it was the role that got him the elusive Academy Award. Leo went HARD in this film. To be honest, he didn’t speak much, but the commitment he showed for the role is what probably set it apart. Homeboy ate that raw bison liver, slept in an animal carcass, and jumped in and out of frozen rivers. Once again, that is freakin commitment. Hey, Leo finally got his award, and I’m happy for him.
Now the one who should be applauded was Tom Hardy as John Fitzgerald. Hardy went HAM in this role and showed how versatile he was as an actor. Honestly, Hardy is one of my favorite actors, and dude was straight-up menacing as Fitzgerald. He had his priorities in order as dude wanted to get PAID, and when the war party attacked, he didn’t want to leave them pelts. Man saw funds leaving his bank account. He didn’t care about anyone but himself. I love how Hardy played him with the scruff voice and burned-up face. Hardy should’ve won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
As far as the movie itself, it’s cool. Where you will become amazed with the story and film is how one man survived a freakin bear attack and makes literally almost crawls 200 miles to a fort. It is the ultimate tale of survival. Most people would give up after the bear attack. Yet, being left alone and saying, “Fuck it! I’m going to survive this,” is a freakin amazement. You know it’s cold, and dude had to be so hungry, and yet, kept moving forward is a sight to see.
First, what about that bear attack?? That shit was insane. Homeboy came out of nowhere, and you were like, Leo about to get eaten. That bear messed Glass up. This was an intense scene to start off the adventure. As you watch Glass fight this bear and the injuries sustained, you wonder how dude just didn’t die right then and there. It showed an incredible will to survive.
Now I don’t know if the war party is truly part of the actual story, but I found that it added a sense of thrill and looming threat. As Glass makes his way through the cold-ass snow tundra, his mind is on everything else. The war party is like this “Oh Shit” part because they seemed to come out of nowhere. At the film’s beginning, they attack the trappers in a really bloody fight. When Glass is in the river, he is getting water, and they pop out of nowhere and begin to attack. I think the director made a great move here because you needed something to move the story and character along with having a threat besides the surrounding elements.
The images and how this film was shot were interesting and somewhat intriguing. I love some of the overhead shots as they came down on the cast or how it was filmed with this dark shadow over it. Some of the scenery was breathtaking as you saw nothing but white as snow. I’m glad my ass doesn’t live in the 1820s.
Overall, The Revenant is a good movie propelled by the two lead actors in Leo and Hardy. They are what makes this movie go and not be a complete bore. Let’s give it up for Leo for winning the elusive award. When you eat raw bison meat, you deserve an award. Some scenes make you wince because it is intense, but overall, the movie is okay. Just take a moment to watch two great actors and an incredible survival story. A freakin true story at that.
