Review: DiCaprio gives the performance of his career in brutal, powerful ‘Revenant’

Posted on January 15, 2016

By MARK VIOLA

According to Webster, revenant is defined as  “one who returns to a former place after a prolonged absence.” An alternative definition reads “the ghost of a dead person.”

I mention this not only because both definitions are rather apt when talking about director Alejandro González Iñárritu’s ground-breaking film “The Revenant,” but also because whenever the movie comes up in conversation, the question of the title’s meaning inevitably arises.

“The Revenant” is the last 2015 film to get a nationwide release, even if that release actually arrives in 2016. I’ve been looking forward to this movie for weeks now, both for what appeared to be a defining performance from Leonardo DiCaprio (“The Wolf of Wall Street”) but also to see how Iñárritu would follow up his 2014 work, “Birdman,” which won four Academy Awards, including Best Director and Best Picture.

Like “Birdman,” “The Revenant” is one of the year’s best films, rising above simple entertainment to become a true cinematic experience. It may sound trite, but you don’t watch this movie, you experience it. From the outstanding performances and beautiful landscapes to the mind-blowing camera work and powerful musical score, this is a movie that gives us something new, something unexpected and something truly unforgettable.

This story, inspired by the true events of fur trapper Hugh Glass–who was mauled by a bear and left for dead only to return months later bent on revenge–doesn’t exactly break new ground. In fact, Glass’ story has already been told on the big screen once before in 1971’s “The Man in the Wilderness” starring Richard Harris. But like with many things in life, it is all about execution, and this is where  Iñárritu, his cast and crew elevate the material to something else entirely.

This is a brutal movie and truly unflinching in its portrayal of the violence of both man and nature. Unlike Quentin Tarantino’s “The Hateful Eight,” you never get the sense that the film is reveling in its violence, only presenting that violence in all of its brutality because that is simply what it is, brutal. “The Revenant” is a powerful film, telling a story of death and survival and how sometimes fighting to live is the hardest thing of all.

The film is rated R for strong frontier combat and violence including gory images, a sexual assault, language and brief nudity.

(This is a abbreviated version of the full review available in our printed or e-edition papers.)

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