The Revenant

The Revenant

Plot in a nutshell: Based on a true story, The Revenant tells  the story of Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio, an explorer who is attacked by a bear and left for dead by his own men. With revenge the only thing on his mind, West must track down fellow explorer John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy) who abandoned him during his time of need. With the memory of his loving family all that guides him, West makes his way across a frozen wasteland in search of redemption.

My thoughts: So here we are again. Leo has starred in another movie and from just the trailers and tabloid press everyone is calling for an Oscar. People really do jump on the bandwagon when it comes to these things and with this being the 4th time DiCaprio has been nominated, some feel it's about time.

This time they though, they have a point.

I'm not so sure how good this film would have been if it hadn't been cast in the way it was. The performances were simply outstanding. Most people are very aware of the way DiCaprio immerses himself into a role, learns all about the character and their history, even the period of which it is set in and this movie was no exception. He surely has to be one of the greatest modern day method actors. During preparation for this film he genuinely slept in animal carcasses, swam in the frozen rivers and going through spells of hypothermia. I'm not sure many of his peers would have gone through the same.

There are periods of this film in which DiCaprio doesn't say a lot. His injuries (that would have killed most men) obviously take a lot out of him and add that to a slashed throat, he isn't going to be the chattiest of folk. I tell you what though, I believed every single grimace, groan, cry of agony and just his general struggle to get back on his feet. Don't get me wrong, if when you see what he goes through with a bear and the state of his body afterwards you are not expecting him to survive and it's a little farfetched that he does, especially considering the weather conditions. But if you focus on that then the whole film kind of dies there and then.

Back in 2012, the final instalment of Christian Nolan's Batman trilogy (The Dark Knight Rises) was released and a lot of people I knew were going crazy for Tom Hardy being cast as Bane. At this point I had absolutely no idea who he was. I tend to be pretty useless with names at times and identify more with voices or faces. If you've seen the Dark Knight Rises, you'll know full well you don't exactly get much of a clear picture of Bane so that didn't help. Add that to the voice he uses and I'm pretty much back to square one - who is Tom Hardy?

After talking to someone about The Revenant recently, I explained the premise and the cast and when I mentioned Hardy they said - who? I now feel exactly like all those people did back in 2012 when they had to explain to me. How can you not know who he is?! After a bit more research, Tom Hardy has played some great roles featuring in films including (but not limited to): Black Hawk Down, Star Trek: Nemesis, Layer Cake, Sucker Punch, Bronson, Inception, Tinker Taylor Soldier Spy, The Dark Knight Rises, Mad Max: Fury Road and Legend. The man has quite a CV and he hasn't just been given those roles out of pity. The man can act.

The Revenant is just another film in his back pocket now but man alive was it a great performance. Bitter from the outset due to losing animal pelts that were due to be sold, John Fitzgerald does not hide his feelings - especially towards Glass (DiCaprio). When the group find Glass after his run in with the bear, Fitzgerald is quick to suggest they put a bullet in him rather than nurse him back to health. There's no two ways about it, Hardy plays a gritty, angry, desperate character who tries to manipulate people into thinking they are acting in the best interests of survival and the group, whereas in truth it is just himself he cares about. I know makeup goes a long way with films these days, but for me, Hardy was barely recognisable from his previous roles. A very strong southern American accent paired with a tough 1800-odd demeanour made Hardy's interpretation  of the man simply outstanding.

But it wasn't just these two names carrying the film forward. Domhnall Gleeson (General Hux - Star Wars The Force Awakens, Bill Weasley - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows pt 1+2)  plays Captain Andrew Henry, the leader of the hunting/exploration party. I think Domhnall has one of those friendly familiar faces that you can never quite remember where you know them from. Still, once I stopped trying to figure out where I knew him from, I really enjoyed his performance. The character shows a full spectrum of emotions and Gleeson pulls them off seamlessly. If truth be told I would have like to have seen more of him. Another actor in this film (who I was very surprised to see in all honesty) has done his reputation no harm is Will Poulter. Another name that probably won't be familiar to you, his works to date include Son of Rambow, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, We're the Millers and The Maze Runner. If you still don't know who he is, Google him and maybe you'll recognise his face. Or eyebrows. Whilst he still was incredibly baby faced in a film where the more facial hair you had seemed to show how much of a badass you were, the youngster did not look out of place. Poulter plays Jim Bridger, one of the crew who stays behind with Glass but is then lied to by Fitzgerald and convinced to leave him to die. You watch the character try to atone for his mistake but eventually is beaten down by the more experienced and stronger alpha male that is Fitzgerald.

Verdict: You'll notice I haven't talked much about the film specifics in this one and that's partly like I said at the start. The film is OK, the best part being at the end with an excellent fight that had EVERYONE jump and gasp at a couple points where you could feel the hits. The story at times is a little slow and in my opinion was half an hour too long. I did like the film don't get me wrong, but based on this, I wouldn't say it's one you need to go out and see straight away. BUT, if you are a DiCaprio or Hardy fan, or if you want to see what were two of the best performances I have ever seen, get to a cinema NOW!

Cast and performances: 10/10

The film itself: 7/10