The Revenant: Or Why Leonardo DiCaprio (Finally) Received an Oscar

Despite “The Revenant” not receiving the award for best picture on Sunday night (it lost out to “Spotlight”), Leonardo DiCaprio finally was given the first Oscar of his storied career.

Leonardo Dicaprio has been a name held in the upper echelon of respected individuals making their living in Hollywood, California for a long time now, and it’s no secret why. His ability to vividly bring characters to life on the silver screen has been responsible for some of the best releases in the last couple decades.

DiCaprio has featured prominently in many very well regarded films over the years such as the 2010 movies “Inception” and “Shutter Island”, “Django Unchained” in 2012, as well as both “The Wolf of Wall Street” and the film adaptation of “The Great Gatsby” in 2013. Of course, he was also the lead in “Titanic”, a movie depicting the sinking of the Titanic directed by James Cameron, which long held the title of top grossing movie of all time.

Despite all of these roles and more, however, DiCaprio had yet to hold the honor of being an Oscar award winning actor until Sunday night, a fact that many consider outrageous considering his extremely impressive resume and ability.

“The Revenant”, a tale of revenge set in the 1800s American West based on a true story, was the one to finally push him over the edge into Oscar-hood amid feverish cries of celebration on the Internet rejoicing in DiCaprio receiving what many believed he had been owed for a long time.

It’s no mere coincidence that “The Revenant” was the film to net him the win this year either; the gritty, brutal film has some of the finest cinematography of the last few years (as evidenced by its winning the category to no one’s surprise) and contains one of DiCaprio’s most powerful performances to date.

In the movie, DiCaprio plays a fur trapper named Hugh Glass hired for an expedition into the wilds of Montana around 1820 whose only family is the son that he had with an Indian woman who was killed by American forces. During the return from the expedition, which was cut short by an Indian attack killing most of their men and forcing them to leave most of the pelts they had gathered, he is mauled by a bear rendering him immobile and on the brink of death.

One member of the surviving crew volunteers to stay with Leonardo’s character until he dies the natural death they presume will be his fate due to his condition, in exchange for a sum of cash, because of the expedition leader’s inability to bring himself to kill him out of mercy. Hugh Glass’ son also volunteers to stay behind, believing (rightly) that John Fitzgerald, the man who stays behind for money, will simply kill Hugh himself and return to camp for a quick and easy bonus. When he attempts to do so, Hugh’s son is killed in front of him trying to defend him, and John quickly leaves the scene.

After this incident, the movie follows Hugh as he slowly and painfully rehabilitates his broken body in an attempt to make his way back through through the Montana wilderness in the dead of winter to the fort that he knows John will return to in a quest to avenge his murdered son.

Much like the lonely, solemn men whom one might expect to be found in the American West of the early 1800s, “The Revenant” is a movie of very few words. It’s a brilliant example of the old Hollywood adage “show, don’t tell”. The atmosphere of isolation and vulnerability to the uncaring forces of nature that permeates the film is not only enforced through the performance but the use of cinematography to capture the breathtaking and vast Montana landscape.

DiCaprio’s performance in “The Revenant” is so effective more due to what isn’t said rather than what is. In fact, for much of the movie his character is unable to speak due to his throat being injured when he was mauled by the bear. He is able to convey the immense struggle and pain that his character endures almost entirely in silence, more profoundly realizing his character than many do with a much wordier script.

While no one can match the sheer energy that DiCaprio puts into his performance as the protagonist, the supporting cast members are no slouches either. John Fitzgerald, played by Tom Hardy, is one of the most despicable antagonists I have seen in a movie for a long time. I could list many other characters in film whose actions as a sum would certainly be considered worse than those of John; however, the wholly self serving actions taken by him are always paired with an attempt to justify what he has done as the right and good thing to do, a pattern that will have you eager to see him get what he deserves by the end of the movie.

Much like the condition of its protagonist throughout much of the film, “The Revenant” is a slow, painful, and tension-filled film that will keep you captivated during its entire two hour and thirty six minute run time with stunning visuals and a phenomenal lead performance from DiCaprio. The film will make you grateful more than ever that you were not born two hundred years ago, and it is an experience that I wholly recommend you see. Do note, however, that this movie is not for those sensitive to scenes of gore, as much like mother nature herself, there is no mercy for the faint of heart to be found in this film; it unquestionably earns its R rating.