This grueling 156-minute film showcasing endurance and vengeance also carried an aesthetic beauty in the midst of constant violence. Director Alejandro G. Iñárritu is well-known for films such as "Birdman" and "Gravity" that are famous for their beautiful cinematography. "The Revenant," however, goes even deeper than Iñárritu’s previous films with its complex technicalities.
Based on a true story of a fur trapper named Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio), the film walks the audience through a group of men facing turmoil with the Ree indigenous tribe. While violence is a common theme throughout the whole movie, it does a brilliant job displaying the injustice of the cruel treatment of indigenous people as well revealing the full capacity of a dying man's will and endurance to live in order to avenge his son's murder against all odds.
Glass, who is his group's tracker, is brutally mauled by a bear early on in the film. The hunting party he was attempting to lead back home were convinced that Glass' horrific injuries would shortly lead to his death. The group's leader left Glass behind with his half-Pawnee son, Hawk (Forrest Goodluck); Jim Bridger (Will Poulter); and an older man, John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy), so that they may give him a proper burial when he passes.
John Fitzgerald is not fond of Glass, which is why he ends up killing his son, Hawk, and convincing Jim to leave him for dead. Hugh Glass lives despite being partially buried alive and slowly makes his journey through winter storms, isolation, indigenous attacks, evil French trappers, and life threatening injuries, finding a friendship with an indigenous man (who not only saves his life but is killed by the French trappers because of his selflessness).
In the end, the lesson is that "justice is not in our hands" and that evil prevails when good men and women do nothing. During the Golden Globe awards show, Leo DiCaprio made a heart-wrenching speech about our country's both past and current mistreatment of the indigenous community.
While Leo is a method actor and spent over nine months preparing for the role, he had almost no lines throughout the long film. He was in almost all the scenes and displayed emotion without having to voice thoughts or do extreme movements.
The film does have a few downsides. It is an extremely intense and long film that can leave the audience feeling drained. The characters are also strictly categorized into good and bad rather than showing the gray area of humanity. Overall, "The Revenant" not only carries a beautiful story line, cinematography, amazing almost effortless, acting, but also speaks on social justice, shows human endurance through difficult battles, and reminds us that vengeance is not always in our hands.
