Inspired by true events and Michael Punke’s novel of the same name, The Revenant, Oscar winner Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s follow-up to Birdman, chronicles the almost unimaginable ordeal of fur trapper Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio), who was mauled by a bear and left for dead by his men in the frozen wilderness of 1823 America … only to survive and then seek his revenge. Hugh Glass was basically a real-life Chuck Norris joke — only no one thought it was very funny when he showed up half-dead and looking to kick some serious ass.
The film begins with a fur trapping expedition — led by Captain Henry (Domhnall Gleeson), whose members include the scout Glass, Glass’ half-Native American son Hawk (Forrest Goodluck), the scowling, self-interested trapper Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy), and young Jim Bridger (Will Poulter), who will one day become one of the Old West’s most legendary mountain men — coming under attack by a party of Arikara.
It’s a brutal battle that leaves the trappers in a bind where they have to abandon their highly valuable beaver pelts if they’re to escape the Arikara’s wrath and survive. The Arikara seek vengeance on the unidentified white men who have kidnapped their chief’s (Duane Howard) daughter. As the trappers make their escape, Glass is attacked and horribly mauled by a grizzly (in one of the film’s most unforgettable sequences). Captain Henry assigns Fitzgerald and Bridger to stay with the seemingly doomed Glass and give him a proper burial once he dies. Alas, the duo don’t follow their orders and leave Glass to die. What follows is a long, brutal journey of both physical and emotional endurance by Glass to exact his revenge.
The Revenant has triumphed at this year’s Golden Globes, winning the night’s most coveted prize for best dramatic film.
Leading man Leonardo DiCaprio won best actor in a drama, while Alejandro G Inarritu won for its direction.
“This film is about survival, it was about adaptation, it was about triumph of the human spirit, but more than anything it was about trust.”
– Leonardo DiCaprio
