The Revenant

"As long as you can still grab a breath, you fight. You breathe... keep breathing."

In 1823, a group of fur trappers are ambushed by the Arikara Native Americans.  Some of the group manage to escape with the pelts, and begin the long journey back to the fort.  Their guide, Hugh Glass (DiCaprio), suggests ditching their boat and traveling by foot to avoid further attacks.  His plan is backed by Captain Andrew Henry (Domhnall), despite the protestations of the group.  The loudest opposition comes from John Fitzgerald (Hardy) who resents the delays and loss of profits.

When Glass scouts ahead, he is attacked and seriously injured by a grizzly bear.  The group attempt to tend his wounds and carry him back to the fort, but the travel is slow and dangerous.  They decide to leave Glass and a small group behind.  Hugh is left with his half-Pawnee son Hawk (Goodluck), Fitzgerald, and young medic Bridger (Poulter).  Fitzgerald murders Hawk in front of Glass, and convinces Bridger to abandon Glass.  Can Glass overcome the obstacles: the Arikaras, the French traders, and the weather, and get vengeance for his losses?


The story is inspired by the grizzly attack on Hugh Glass.  Like in the film, Glass was a fur trader / explorer, and was attacked by a grizzly and then left for dead by his group.  He crawled / stumbled 200 miles back to the nearest American fort, after setting his own broken leg and dealing with infected wounds, and then pursued the two men who left him for dead.  This film uses that story as the backbone of the film, but makes several changes to the overall story.  The screenplay is based on the book "The Revenant: A Novel of Revenge" by Michael Punke.

Director Alejandro G. Inarritu won the Academy Award for Best Director in 2015 with Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance).  For this film, he used natural lighting and avoided computer images.  The film was mostly shot in sequence over the course of 80 days, due to the remote location and the desire to only use natural light, along with the weather conditions.

The film is over 2.5 hours long, but doesn't drag.  It is an intense film that doesn't shy away from taking it's time.  If you can't handle blood, you probably shouldn't see this film.  It is bloody / gory and violent, reminiscent of the times / situation it is portraying.  Leonardo DiCaprio is a strong lead, conveying so much without dialog and guiding the audience through this incredible journey.  Tom Hardy is equally compelling as John Fitzgerald.  They are excellent on screen together (they previously starred in Inception).  Domhnall Gleeson, Will Poulter, and Forrest Goodluck are also good in their roles.

This film is nominated for 12 Academy Awards, including Best Actor (DiCaprio), Best Director (Inarritu), Best Picture, Best Support Actor (Hardy), Best Cinematography.  DiCaprio has already won numerous awards for this film.

The Revenant (2015) 156 minutes
Rating: R for strong frontier combat and violence including gory images, a sexual assault, language and brief nudity
Director: Alejandro G. Inarritu
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio as Hugh Glass
Tom Hardy as John Fitzgerald
Domhnall Gleeson as Captain Andrew Henry
Will Poulter as Bridger
Forrest Goodluck as Hawk
Paul Anderson as Anderson
Kristoffer Joner as Murphy