As much a stress-test for the viewers as the characters, this brutal depiction of life in the American Frontier is a spectacular presentation of acting and cinematography
Initially released in 2015 and now showing at BFI IMAX, Alejandro Iñárittu’s brutally realistic depiction of fur trapper frontiersman Hugh Glass (Played by Leonardo DiCaprio) through the wilds of 1823 America is not for the weak of disposition.
At times stressful, bloody, heart-wrenching and even dreary, we follow the aforementioned Glass as his group gets ambushed by Ree Natives in Dakota territory, leaving him to eventually fight off being mauled by a mother bear. He is ultimately abandoned by those few fellow trappers remaining in a gutting betrayal, and what follows is two hours of a man fighting every step of the way to survive so he can enact the ultimate revenge for the death of his half-Pawnee son, Hawk (played by Forrest Goodluck).
The harsh, freezing terrain of snowy mountains and wintry forests are as much a character as Glass and his nemesis John Fitzgerald (played by Tom Hardy). Emmanuel Lubezki’s cinematography is often stark and cold, focusing on low angle shots of trees, clear skies, embers, skin and blood as well as sweeping long takes, camera pans and clever scene cuts. Combined with Jack Fisk’s naturalistic, grimy production design of the period it is easy to see the parallels with the dreamlike, hallucinatory audiovisuals of Terrence Malick’s films such as Tree of Life. Both were respectively Malick’s own cinematographer and production designer for years prior to this Iñárittu production.
Despite the themes of revenge, rebirth, and familial responsibility in the face of utmost extremes, there are still inaccuracies with the film’s narrative. Anachronistically set in a more rugged winter terrain versus the monotonous plains of actual Dakota Hugh Glass’s real story is set in, drama is meshed and molded into a more satisfyingly neat timeline alongside manufacturing Glass’s relationship with a Pawnee woman and their son. Although there is excellent use of authentic indigenous dialogue, there is still an element of “white savior” tropes, particularly regarding the kidnap and rape of the Ree Native woman Powaqa (played by Melaw Nakehk’o). Nevertheless, neither the French, Americans, Brits nor Native Americans come across as sympathetic in this vicious depiction where everyone is out for themselves to endure. Everyone is portrayed as savage in some way, particularly relevant when a sign in French hangs in the breeze during a pivotal scene stating “Ont est touts les sauvages”- “We are all savages/ we are all wild”.
The IMAX experience is of course a natural fit for such an immersive interpretation of Glass’s unrelenting struggle to live long enough for vengeance, complemented by Hardy’s equally desperate Fitzgerald to survive no matter what. By the end of the onslaught, you really do feel glad to have made it to the end, mirroring Glass’s own relief at the stamina. It is a story about survival and hope in the face of adversity, no matter how violent your motivation may be. Stunning visuals using natural light sources, otherworldly sound-scapes and utterly compelling performances ensure The Revenant remains a modern cinematic tour de force worthy of its plethora of industry accolades. And yes, that scene with the bear is as spectacularly hardcore as you expect it’s going to be.
The Revenant played at the BFI IMAX, London for one showing on the 20th September 2026 to celebrate the 10th anniversary of its release in cinemas.