Director Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s latest film, The Revenant, offers a visceral glimpse into America’s complicated history during the 1800s when the nation pursued manifest destiny, at any cost. Although critics have largely focused on praising the emotional gravitas expressed in Leonardo DiCaprio’s character (Hugh Glass) as he endures one harrowing brush with death after another, The Revenant is in fact a subversive pastiche of Western Americana lore, native American mysticism, and an exploration of the fragile bonds of human civilization.
The action begins early when a tribe of Arikara Indians dubbed the “Ree” suddenly attacks a group of fur trappers basking in the spoils of pelts and flesh. Iñárritu’s unflinching directorial style remains intact in the stark, panned-in staccato of arrows, bullets, and hatchets that rip, shred, and slice into the throats, arms, and legs of its embroiled recipients. But despite the blood and spray, Iñárritu treats all and sundry as both villain and victim. After all, only moments before the attack did Captain Andrew Henry’s (Domhnall Gleeson) bearded, fouled-mouthed hunters share tales of Indian conquest. And as what’s left of Henry’s hired hands escape on boat, the Arikara chief descends upon the camp only to discover that the whereabouts of his kidnapped daughter remains unknown.
From here, it’s a brisk boat ride down a river covered in fog and mist as the men nervously anticipate another attack. This is also where the rift between Glass and John Fitzgerald (Tomy Hardy), a surly, impetuous fellow trapper, is established. Although Captain Henry and his men side with Glass’ recommendation to get off the boat and seek a safer trail home, Fitzgerald disagrees, which he makes known in the racist insults he hurls at Glass’ “half-breed” Pawnee son Hawk (Forest Goodluck). Once on land, Glass’ tracking skills are quickly put to use until an unfortunate run in with a bear nearly ends his life.
DiCaprio’s performance is raw, wrenching and superb, providing an Oscar-worthy series of grunts, grimaces and spit as he endures the claws and teeth of a bear, the murder of his son while incapacitated, and the icing-on-the-cake betrayal of Fitzgerald who buries Glass alive, leaving him for dead. What follows is a resurrection of a man who has only himself to rely on, reflecting the over-glorified American ideal of rugged individualism garnished with blood lust perfectly.
Above the thematic motifs of conquest, vengeance, and survival is a film full of scenic panoramas that, while depicting the splendor of the wilds of Montana and South Dakota, makes you feel the harsh winter through which DiCaprio’s character must travel to escape the Ree and ultimately, find Fitzgerald. No doubt, Jack London would be proud.
The Revenant, however, is more than just a revenge film. Certainly, had Iñárritu and writer Mark L. Smith decided to focus the narrative solely on Glass’s quest to survive and exact revenge, The Revenant would have been nothing more than one long yawn fest of grunts and hiking. Fortunately, the film follows several characters struggling to reconcile traumas endured along the edges of the ever-expanding American frontier. Iñárritu’s approach relies on elements of magical realism (although this is rather clumsily used) and flashbacks to depict the horrors of genocide and the extent to which human cruelty and kindness exist when two civilizations clash over land, resources, and race.
DiCaprio’s impassioned performance and the scenic portrayal of the trials and tribulations endured among 19th century American adventurers aside, Iñárritu does well to only hint at the divisions and tensions that existed among French and American settlers. Any more and the film would have felt forced, any less and The Revenantwould have risked simplifying the existence of these issues. Ultimately, The Revenant is a fine film that offers a taste of American machismo for those interested in a survival tale, and ample depth for those looking for a film that doesn’t romanticize America’s bloody past.
(This article was originally published on January 13, 2016)