[THE REVENANT opens in Cleveland area cinemas on Friday, January 8th.]
Review by Bob Ignizio
Review by Bob Ignizio
In terms of plot, THE
REVENANT is kind of like a cross between a seventies Clint Eastwood
western/revenge movie like THE OUTLAW
JOSEY WALES, and a western survival film of that same era like JEREMIAH JOHNSON. The specifics derive
from a novel of the same name by Michael Punke, which was itself based on the
true story of frontier scout Hugh Glass. And to be sure, the story of Mr.
Glass, both in real life and in this slightly fictionalized version is quite
gripping. But as Roger Ebert was fond of saying, it’s not what a movie is
about, it’s how it is about it.
Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s
THE REVENANT is “about it” in a way that reminds one of the films of
Terrence Malick. Writer Chris Wisniewski’s comments on Malick from Reverse Shot
magazine could just as easily apply here: “Those rambling philosophical
voiceovers; the placid images of nature, offering quiet contrast to the evil
deeds of men; the stunning cinematography, often achieved with natural light;
the striking use of music.”
In Malick’s tighter films from the seventies like BADLANDS and DAYS OF HEAVEN that approach yields tremendous rewards. But as
Malick’s films became longer and looser beginning with THE THIN RED LINE, they became more distancing to many viewers. I still
like his work up through 2005’s THE NEW
WORLD, but starting with TREE OF
LIFE in 2011, Malick’s films have become increasingly self-indulgent and
unsatisfying.
Sadly, although I think Iñárritu is aiming for something
akin to THE NEW WORLD, he lands much
closer to TREE OF LIFE and its
equally obtuse follow-up TO THE WONDER.
Like those films, THE REVENANT looks
quite beautiful and feels oh so important, but never makes the case that it’s
worthy of such a high minded and heavy handed approach. Fortunately, the story
is such a compelling one that Iñárritu’s artistic pretensions can’t fully drain
it of interest.
Glass, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, survives a raid on his
trapping party by hostile Ree Indians only to be brutally attacked by a bear
shortly thereafter. The rest of the party leaves moves on, leaving behind Glass’
half-native son Hawk (Forrest Goodluck), a young trapper named Bridger (Will
Poulter), and roughhewn veteran frontiersman John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy) to
give the injured man a proper burial when the time comes. Fitzgerald doesn’t
want to wait, though, and when Hawk catches him trying to move things along,
Fitzgerald kills the boy and hides the body.
When Bridger returns to the camp, Fitzgerald convinces him
they are in imminent danger of being attacked by the Ree. Glass is hastily
tossed into a shallow grave as the other trappers hightail it out of there.
Evidently through sheer force of will alone, he survives and sets out for
revenge, occasionally crossing paths with the Ree who attacked his party
earlier in the film, and who are on their own quest to rescue one of their
women who has been captured by white men.
There’s also a brief interlude where a Pawnee Indian helps
Glass and offers up words of wisdom about vengeance being in the hands of the
creator, words that are repeated later in the film. If this is truly the theme Iñárritu
is trying to convey, though, it doesn’t really gibe with what happens onscreen.
By the way, if you’re one of those people who likes actors
to deliver their lines in such a way that you can actually tell what they’re
staying, steer well clear of this one. Tom Hardy mumbles his way through as
usual, while DiCaprio talks in a raspy whisper for much of the film. Which is
reasonable for a character whose throat has been ripped open by a bear, don’t
get me wrong. It’s just that it can get a bit frustrating if you actually want
to know what the actors are saying.
Like I said, though, the story is a good one, and even if
you can only make out every other word anyone is saying, it’s not like you won’t
know what’s going on. It’s also admirable that DiCaprio did most of his own
stunts, and while the shooting conditions reportedly drove the crew crazy,
there’s no denying that the naturally lit cinematography is impressive. But the
film keeps an emotional distance from its audience, rendering material that
should be visceral and energetic somewhat inert. THE REVENANT strives for greatness, and that’s worthy of respect,
but in the end it comes up short. 2 ½ out of 4 stars.
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