The Revenant is a visceral ode to the western frontier of the 1800s.
The story is simple. The setting expansive. And the characters grandiose in the most transparent of ways.
Perhaps the most striking thing about The Revenant is not the characters themselves, but the hyperawareness of the camera.
With multiple close up shots that feel as though one is trespassing, you are up front to the action from the start. Rigid tracking shots, most in one continuous sequence, follow the cast of characters through rugged terrain.
It feels voyeuristic. It feels immense. The audience is submerged in a disorienting frenzy long enough to forget one is watching a film until blood is splattered onto the camera.
You are a mere spectator, then, to cinematic art - one eye glance away from breaking the fourth wall.
It's a genius ploy to bait the audience for you are involved and yet far removed.
The Revenant is visually breathtaking. Wide shots explore the vast details of the films settings and it looks like a stunning oil painting.
But the story is as old as time.
Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio) seeks revenge after being left for dead by his own hunting team.
He is on the brink of death, and yet, fights his way back through rough patches of nature to survive and exact retribution.
As formidable as DiCaprio is, and he is, one cannot forgo a mention of Tom Hardy.
Hardy is the only actor that could impressively be DiCaprio's antagonist. Harsh. Jagged. Heartless. Bold. Hardy plays the character of Fitzgerald with desperate coolness. It is beautiful to watch.
If we learn anything from the film, through a feminist perspective, it is that of the harsh reality of manhood: in the western front, you either kill or be killed. There is no room for compassion. Boys lose their humanity and grow callous as the snow. Survival, for a man with a heart, means to lose it. He is to walk alone among the company.
If you have yet to see The Revenant, I would recommend it, though I warn the viewer, the action is mostly through character performances and camera angles. We are used to seeing films in the style of Michael Bay, where explosions take place for artistic integrity. Fast pace and constant movement of scenes that suffocate the films with too much plot is distant in The Revenant.
So it might appear too slow. You might feel impatient for you are not used to it, but watch all the way through and immerse yourself in the film. It is worth it.
