---
title: "The Revenant"
year: 2015
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-revenant"
fi1m_id: "the-revenant"
imdb_id: "tt1663202"
tmdb_id: 281957
wikidata_id: "Q18002795"
fi1m_score: 74
critics_score: 76
critics_reviews: 18
published: "2026-09-15"
updated: "2026-09-18T08:38:34.749982+00:00"
region: "US"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# The Revenant (2015)

Directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu · 2h 37m · MPA R · Western, Drama, Adventure

## Identity

The Revenant

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/the-revenant
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** the-revenant
- **IMDb ID:** tt1663202
- **TMDB ID:** 281957
- **Wikidata ID:** Q18002795
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1663202/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/281957, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q18002795

**Fi1m score: 74** · Critics 76 from 18 reviews

*In a sentence:* Leonardo DiCaprio endures the wilderness while we quietly reconsider the appeal of a walking holiday

> Alejandro G. Iñárritu makes a gripping survival Western, with Leonardo DiCaprio carrying its physical weight. Its 157 minutes include too much solemn reflection, but the bear attack earns every flinch.

## Synopsis

Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio) struggles to survive in the frontier wilderness, where a bear attack turns an already dangerous existence into an ordeal of physical endurance. His story brings together survival and revenge in a landscape where cold and violence leave little room for safety. Tom Hardy plays John Fitzgerald, with Domhnall Gleeson as Captain Andrew Henry and Will Poulter as Jim Bridger. Alejandro G. Iñárritu directs this Western, adapted from Michael Punke’s novel, with a screenplay co-written by Mark L. Smith.

## Review

*The Revenant* is a good survival Western with a habit of making hardship last longer than it needs to. Alejandro G. Iñárritu wants us to feel the effort of staying alive in the wilderness, and Leonardo DiCaprio’s Hugh Glass rarely allows us to forget how much it hurts. The revenge story is simple enough to leave plenty of attention for cold, injury and fear. Across 157 minutes, the physical struggle grips more reliably than the invitations to contemplate it.

Emmanuel Lubezki’s natural-light photography gives the wilderness a coldness that survives even its most beautiful views. His roving camera makes the action feel dangerously close, while the long takes deny us the small relief of a cut. We were horrified by the bear attack. The sustained attention to Glass’s helplessness makes the violence feel horribly prolonged, and the illusion holds well enough that looking for the trick offers little comfort.

DiCaprio’s performance is strongest when simply enduring the next physical demand seems to require everything he has. His near-wordless acting keeps our attention on the immediate problem of survival, and we believe the effort even when the ordeal begins to strain belief. Tom Hardy, as John Fitzgerald, is the more characterful presence, giving us someone to consider during a film otherwise liable to keep asking how much more a man can take. His scenes are a welcome change of emphasis.

Jack Fisk’s production design helps make the human surroundings feel scarcely more comfortable than the wilderness. Nothing in that work encourages us to settle back and enjoy a picturesque frontier, which is useful when the photography is so seductive. Ryuichi Sakamoto and Alva Noto’s score sustains the unease without needing to compete with the violence. It is less persuasive when the film asks us to take suffering as a reason for spiritual awe.

The trouble comes when Iñárritu slows down to insist that this ordeal means something beyond the immediate business of surviving it. The religious imagery can feel ponderous, and the screenplay by Iñárritu and Mark L. Smith gives us too little of Glass’s inner life to make those passages revealing. Stephen Mirrione’s editing is patient enough to let the survival sequences become uncomfortable. That patience serves the action well, but in the reflective stretches we begin to notice how little has been added since the previous bout of suffering.

As a Western, the film is convincing about how small human plans become when set against the weather and the terrain. Revenge is a familiar reason to send a man into danger, but here the danger repeatedly becomes more interesting than his purpose. We would not ask Iñárritu to soften the violence or make the wilderness friendlier. We would ask him to trust those things to hold our attention without so much solemn encouragement. Choose it for a hard, absorbing evening, provided relaxation was never the plan.

*Fi1m score 74, published 15 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics respond warmly to The Revenant’s punishing survival story, with praise concentrated on Emmanuel Lubezki’s immersive cinematography and Leonardo DiCaprio’s physically committed performance. The natural-light photography and brutal action sequences make the wilderness feel immediate and threatening, while the spare storytelling gives the ordeal a force many find engrossing. Even several less persuaded reviews admire the technical control, particularly in the bear attack sequence.

The disagreement is over how much feeling and insight accompany the suffering, and the verdicts range widely. Supporters find emotional weight in the struggle for survival; detractors describe a prolonged endurance test with thin characterisation and heavy-handed symbolism. Sight and Sound finds the filmmaking immersive but unmoving, while Slant Magazine objects to the weak script and length despite admiring the cinematography. Collider offers a pointed counterview, finding a stripped-down survival tale attentive to the emotional and mental costs of revenge.

## Straight answers

**Is The Revenant worth watching?**

*The Revenant* is worth watching for anyone who wants a hard, absorbing survival Western and does not mind 157 minutes of it, and we scored it 74. Leonardo DiCaprio's near-wordless endurance and the bear attack grip more reliably than the solemn, religious stretches, which slow the film without adding much. Choose it for a demanding evening rather than a relaxing one.

**How long is The Revenant, and what is it rated?**

*The Revenant* runs 2h 37m and is rated R by the MPA in the US. It is a western and drama film.

**Where can I watch The Revenant in the US?**

*The Revenant* is streaming on HBO Max, The Roku Channel, Hulu and Amazon Prime Video in the US, and it is also available to rent from Apple TV and Amazon Prime Video from $3.99. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How violent or frightening is The Revenant, and is it suitable for children?**

*The Revenant* is a UK 15 and not suitable for children. The bear attack horrified us: the long takes hold on Glass's helplessness so the violence feels horribly prolonged, and the film rarely lets up on cold, injury and fear afterwards. Teenagers of certificate age with a strong stomach will manage; the squeamish should think twice.

**How does The Revenant compare to Meek's Cutoff?**

*The Revenant* is the more violent and physically punishing of the two, while [*Meek's Cutoff*](https://film.one/film/meeks-cutoff) is the quieter and more uncertain frontier journey. Iñárritu drives his story with revenge and a bear attack; Kelly Reichardt replaces that certainty with doubt and a deliberate pace anchored by Michelle Williams. We find Reichardt's film the more disciplined, Iñárritu's the more gripping in the moment.

**Is The Revenant based on a true story or a book?**

*The Revenant* is adapted from Michael Punke's novel, with a screenplay by Alejandro G. Iñárritu and Mark L. Smith. The film keeps the story simple, a survival ordeal joined to a revenge plot, and gives Hugh Glass little inner life beyond enduring the next injury. You do not need to know the book to follow it.

**What should I watch after The Revenant?**

After *The Revenant*, try [*Dersu Uzala*](https://film.one/film/dersu-uzala) (1975, Fi1m 82): A slower wilderness journey, with more patience for the people surviving it. Then [*Meek's Cutoff*](https://film.one/film/meeks-cutoff) (2010, Fi1m 82): Another punishing frontier journey, with uncertainty replacing the certainty of revenge; and [*Arctic*](https://film.one/film/arctic) (2018, Fi1m 75): A spare survival film that makes practical decisions carry the drama.

### Reviews we read (23)

- **Empire**, Nick de Semlyen (5/5): The critic calls it an astonishing sensory experience and a gruelling, exquisite, mystical odyssey of survival that plunges the viewer into a sub-zero hell that often looks like heaven. They single out the sublime imagery, DiCaprio’s raw and hypnotically good performance, and Iñárritu’s driven vision and technical choices for praise. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/revenant-review/)
- **Radio Times**, Jeremy Aspinall (★★★★★): The critic hails it as majestic cinema and a technical tour-de-force, praising DiCaprio's agonisingly honest performance and Lubezki's immersive natural-light cinematography. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/the-revenant-review-an-epic-true-story-of-survival-revenge-and-redemption/)
- **The Independent** (5/5): The critic calls it a mad, visionary and often preposterous survival tale that is very bloody and full of murky religious symbolism, but also astounding in its flights of macabre lyricism. They single out the visual daring and sheer demented scope of its ambition for praise while noting some overly contemplative moments. [Read](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/the-revenant-review-leonardo-dicaprio-and-tom-hardy-provide-shock-and-thaw-in-a-stellar-survival-tale-a6761206.html)
- **The Times** (★★★★★): DiCaprio delivers a standout performance in a brutal, immersive survival tale that the critic calls a big, brutal, shining meteorite of a film and unmissable. [Read](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/hes-wildly-appropriate-p80fg8f98)
- **Evening Standard**, David Sexton (90/100, inferred): The critic describes it as an unmissable masterpiece and a frontier story made as no other has been before, praising Leonardo DiCaprio’s brutally powerful and magnificent performance as well as the immersive camerawork and commitment to natural light. They single out the gruelling yet grounded depiction of the wilderness and Native American history. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/the-revenant-film-review-a3157271.html)
- **Little White Lies**, Adam Woodward (5/4/5): The critic praises the visceral simplicity of the storytelling and technical artistry, especially the cinematography, while noting the gruelling spectacle and how it reveals truths about anguish and healing. [Read](https://lwlies.com/reviews/the-revenant/)
- **Los Angeles Times**, Kenneth Turan (80/100, inferred): The critic calls the film a classic B picture fortified with Grade A resources and a survival tale of beautiful, brute strength. He praises the exceptional work of DiCaprio and cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki for creating verisimilitude and beauty. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-revenant-review-20151225-column.html)
- **Time Out**, Dave Calhoun (4/5): The critic finds the relentless, simple storytelling magnetic and the photography gorgeous and spiritual, though the film can feel like an act of sadism that is punishing and long. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-revenant)
- **Screen Daily** (70/100, inferred): The critic finds the brutal survival tale powerfully engrossing with awe-inspiring visuals and a potently physical lead performance, while noting the showy approach lacks nuance. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-revenant-review/5097419.article)
- **Variety**, Justin Chang (65/100, inferred): The critic finds the film a feat of high-wire filmmaking with pitiless violence, grueling intensity and breathtaking imagery but ultimately inflated and emotionally stunted. He praises the anchoring performance of ferocious commitment from DiCaprio and Lubezki's imagery. [Read](https://variety.com/2015/film/reviews/the-revenant-review-leonardo-dicaprio-alejandro-g-inarritu-1201649080/)
- **The New York Times**, Manohla Dargis (60/100, inferred): The critic describes the film as an American foundation story that is by turns soaring and overblown. She singles out the beautiful natural tableaus and DiCaprio's diligent commitment for praise while noting the overblown elements. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/25/movies/review-the-revenant-welcome-to-paradise-now-prepare-to-fall.html)
- **The New Yorker**, Anthony Lane (55/100, inferred): The critic calls the film a very beautiful slog that turns into an endurance test and a solemn pilgrimage rather than an adventure. He singles out Emmanuel Lubezki’s cinematography for summoning wonders, including one unforgettable image, while noting the lack of transcendence or humility. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/01/04/wilder-west)
- **Vulture** (50/100, inferred): The critic views the film as a brutal feat of strength and technical tour de force in its survival sequences and visuals, but finds it ultimately amounts to pain without gain, overly literal in its approach and lacking deeper insight into themes of inhumanity. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/2015/12/movie-review-the-revenant.html)
- **Slant Magazine**, Jaime N. Christley (30/100, inferred): The critic describes the film as a misery-fest and a monument to slick, mercenary grandeur, criticizing its overlong runtime, rudimentary metaphors, and weak script despite strong ambitions and cinematography. The bear mauling scene is singled out as the film's finest moment for its strange and effective illusion. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-revenant-2015/)
- **Sight and Sound**, Nick Pinkerton: The critic calls it a feat of pure endurance-test cinema with immersive, visceral filmmaking that evokes classic directors, but finds it overwhelming and unmoving due to sparse story and character development. [Read](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/review-revenant)
- **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw: The critic finds the film gut-churningly brutal yet beautiful, praising the primal violence of the bear attack scene and the director's masterful control and fluency in storytelling. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/dec/04/the-revenant-review-gut-churningly-brutal-beautiful-storytelling)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, Todd McCarthy: The critic praises the film's visceral and vivid portrayal of survival and endurance in harsh conditions, highlighting the brutal realism and visual poetry created by the director, cinematographer, and effects team. The bear attack scene and technical achievements stand out as particularly striking, though the intensity may overwhelm some viewers. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/revenant-film-review-845152/)
- **Collider**, Tommy Cook (A-): The critic calls The Revenant Iñárritu’s most clear-eyed and effective film, a stripped-down man-vs-nature survival tale that focuses on the emotional and mental toll of revenge rather than just physical hardship. They single out the visceral action sequences, especially the bear mauling, and Emmanuel Lubezki’s roving, immersive cinematography for particular praise. [Read](https://collider.com/the-revenant-review-leonardo-dicaprio-tom-hardy-alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/)
- **Den of Geek**, David Crow (4.5/5): The critic finds the film a unique, visceral Western that dwarfs its revenge plot with overwhelming natural forces and survival ordeal. They single out the stunning bear mauling sequence and Tom Hardy's standout performance for praise. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/the-revenant-review/)
- **The Playlist**, The Playlist Staff (B+): The critic praises the film's visceral intensity, stunning cinematography by Emmanuel Lubezki, and DiCaprio's committed performance in scenes of suffering, while noting it is a punishing, unremitting tale of survival and vengeance that ultimately argues against a cruel world. [Read](https://theplaylist.net/review-alejandro-g-inarritus-fierce-and-unremitting-the-revenant-starring-leonardo-dicaprio-and-tom-hardy-20151221/)
- **Eye for Film**, Amber Wilkinson (40/100, inferred): The critic commends the craft, long takes, soundscape, and bear attack sequence but criticizes the lack of emotional depth, unrealistic polish, stereotypical portrayals, and how the film's brutality becomes silly without humor or substance, ultimately leaving the viewer cold despite its beauty. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-revenant-2015-film-review-by-amber-wilkinson)
- **Deadline**, Pete Hammond: The critic calls the results from a cinematic point of view stunning and praises the primal, relentless filmmaking and DiCaprio's near-wordless performance as the essence of great screen acting. He notes dazzling visuals and effects but finds it may be too brutal and lacking some emotional connection compared to the director's prior films. [Read](https://deadline.com/2015/12/the-revenant-review-leonardo-dicaprio-alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu-1201653248/)
- **The Wrap**, Robert Abele: The critic hails it as a masterpiece of all-in filmmaking and a nerve-wracking marvel, praising the intensive focus on the unforgiving wilderness and DiCaprio's complete physical immersion in the survival struggle. He singles out the painterly cinematography and technical achievements while noting the relentlessness may be excessive for some. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/the-revenant-review-leonardo-dicaprio-tom-hardy-alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/)

## Details

- **Director:** Alejandro González Iñárritu
- **Director:** Alejandro González Iñárritu
- **Screenplay:** Mark L. Smith, Alejandro González Iñárritu
- **Novel:** Michael Punke
- **Cinematography:** Emmanuel Lubezki
- **Editor:** Stephen Mirrione
- **Music:** Ryuichi Sakamoto, Alva Noto
- **Production design:** Jack Fisk
- **Costume design:** Jacqueline West
- **Producer:** Mary Parent, James W. Skotchdopole, Steve Golin
- **Cast:** Leonardo DiCaprio as Hugh Glass; Tom Hardy as John Fitzgerald; Domhnall Gleeson as Captain Andrew Henry; Will Poulter as Jim Bridger; Forrest Goodluck as Hawk; Duane Howard as Elk Dog; Arthur Redcloud as Hikuc; Melaw Nakehk'o as Powaqa
- **Runtime:** 2h 37m
- **Certificate (MPA):** R
- **Release (the US):** 8 January 2016
- **Genres:** Western, Drama, Adventure
- **Also in:** [Best Picture winners](https://film.one/collections/oscar-best-picture.md) (Nominee, 2015); [BAFTA Best Film winners](https://film.one/collections/bafta-best-film.md) (Winner, 2015); [Golden Globe Best Drama winners](https://film.one/collections/golden-globe-drama.md) (Winner, 2015)
- **Budget:** $135 million
- **Box office:** $533 million
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhffABvfAW0

## Where to watch in the US

- HBO Max: streaming
- The Roku Channel: add-on, hd
- Hulu: add-on, hd
- Amazon Prime Video: add-on, uhd
- Apple TV: rent $3.99, hd
- Amazon Prime Video: rent $3.99, hd
- Amazon Prime Video: buy $4.99, uhd
- Apple TV: buy $14.99, hd

*Checked 2026-09-15.*

Also available in: AE, AR, AT, AU, AZ, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EC, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HR, HU, ID, IE, IL, IN, IS, IT, JP, KR, LT, MX, MY, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PE, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, SI, SK, TH, TR, UA, US, VN, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## Awards

- Academy Awards 2016: Best Costume Design (nominated); Best Film Editing (nominated); Best Makeup and Hairstyling (nominated); Best Picture (nominated); Best Production Design (nominated); Best Sound (nominated); Best Sound Editing (nominated); Best Supporting Actor (nominated); Best Visual Effects (nominated); Best Actor (won); Best Cinematography (won); Best Director (won)
- BAFTA Film Awards 2015: Best Film (won)

## If you liked this

- *Dersu Uzala* (1975), Fi1m 82: A slower wilderness journey, with more patience for the people surviving it. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/dersu-uzala.md)
- *The Naked Prey* (1965): Pursuit and exhaustion stripped down to bodies moving through hostile terrain.
- *Meek's Cutoff* (2010), Fi1m 82: Another punishing frontier journey, with uncertainty replacing the certainty of revenge. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/meeks-cutoff.md)
- *Arctic* (2018), Fi1m 75: A spare survival film that makes practical decisions carry the drama. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/arctic.md)
- *The Proposition* (2005), Fi1m 79: Frontier violence and family loyalties, under heat as punishing as this cold. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-proposition.md)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/the-revenant