Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy starred alongside each other for the first time in Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s historic western thriller, The Revenant. It’s Iñárritu’s first new movie since the hugely successful Birdman in 2014, and with four Golden Globe Award nominations already in the bag for Best Motion Picture – Drama, Best Director, Best Actor – Drama, and Best Original Score, it’s well placed to be one of the big contenders for Academy Award success at the end of February 2016.
Based in-part on the 2002 Michael Punke book, it’s a fictionalisation of the real life story of frontiersman, Hugh Glass, who’s incredible story of survival inspired the production. However, it deviates fairly considerably from the real life events with the addition of murderous action and a blurred line between retribution and redemption that has much more significant moral implications than the historic portrayal of Glass’ efforts in the winter of 1823.
Release date
Cinema: The Revenant had a UK release date on Friday the 15th January 2016, following the earlier release in the US on the 25th December 2015 for any Christmas Day film buffs on the other side of the Atlantic. Overblown special effects and CGI don’t feature in the film and while there is a visceral style to the cinematography that results in startling clarity to the visual look of the film, we’d have to say that the 2D only screening was the right call for the movie.
It hit the big screen in the UK on the same weekend as the new Rocky Balboa film, Creed, as well as Room, so it had a decent amount of heavyweight competition for box office glory. All three have picked up positive critical reception and they were all contenders for award season hauls so it was a crucial release window for each of them.
DVD, Blu-ray and digital download: iTunes has The Revenant down for an expected digital download release date in the UK of the 23rd May 2016, so the DVD and Blu-ray should be arriving at the same time. We’ll update with more details as soon as they become available.
Story
The plot takes us back to the chillier side of the wild west, as explorer and fur trapper Hugh Glass gets attacked and mauled to near death by a bear as he and his party head out into the uncharted American wilderness of present day South Dakota. Fearing he would not survive and knowing he was slowing down their progress, the leader of the expedition leaves him with a small group of men, including his son Hawk, to stay with him until he succumbs to death and to catch up with the rest of the party later.
When he’s left for dead by these men and watches as his son is killed in front of him, he’s left with the near impossible challenge of surviving the frozen wilds, dragging his broken form and living off whatever he can find. With injustice, anger and the thought of retribution firing him on it’s a brutal winter for the outdoors-man, but with the danger of the frontier he’s got an incredible challenge just making it through alive.
Check out Hollywood vs. History to find out more about what’s true and what has incorporated Iñárritu’s genius for creative license.
Cast
Leonardo DiCaprio (The Great Gatsby) plays Glass and Tom Hardy (Legend) plays John Fitzgerald, one of the two men that leave Hugh to succumb to die alone. Will Poulter (Son Of Rambo) plays the second of the two wayward frontiersmen, Jim Bridger, and Domhnall Gleeson (Star Wars: The Force Awakens) plays the leader of the expedition, Captain Andrew Henry.
Production
It’s another massive movie release for celebrated director, Alejandro G. Iñárritu, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Mark L. Smith. It’s clearly another auteur outing for him as he’s also one of the films producers with Arnon Milchan, Steve Golin, Mary Parent, James W. Skotchdopole and Keith Redmon. The original movie score is by the brilliant composer, Ryuichi Sakamoto, and German musician, Alva Noto, so it should feature some incredible music.
Review
If we’re honest, we were originally put off by the ultra definition look and feel of the initial battle scene that featured in The Revenant, but when you see it all together in its entirety it’s much more impressive. With four Golden Globe nominations, an incredible director and some mighty performances from a very strong cast, it didn’t take us long to turn back in its favour. It’s an epic production that manages to treat all of the complexities of the situation with a very keen understanding of the nature of the events. It’s own fictionalised spin on things helps it to explore its themes of nature, morality and survival with more clarity and result in a compelling film that is more than worthy of the praise it has received. Read our full review for more details.
Classification
The British Board Of Film Classification has rated The Revenant as 15 with strong violence, bloody injury detail and strong language, but then when there’s a scene wish Leonardo DiCaprio having a sleep inside the warm carcass of a dead horse you’ve got to expect a little caution.
