The Revenant Movie Review

The conclusion to “The Revenant” is troubling in that it feels untrue to what was on display several moments earlier. Without spoiling to much, the character of Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio) makes a sudden impulse decision that was counterintuative to his feelings less then a moment before. Was this a purposeful move? Who knows.

“The Revenant” is director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's follow-up to the Oscar(r)-winning film, “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)”. Inarritu co-wrote this film with Mark L. Smith who wrote “The Hole” and “Vacancy”.

Right off the bat I should say that this is not the entertaining revenge picture that many were hoping it to be. The film's slow pace and in-depth realism make the film agonizing if anything. But it's Inarritu's seemless directing, DiCaprio's acting and Emmanuel Lubezki's super-aethetic cinematography that saves this picture from being flat-out boring. And it really does the job.

The film is fascinating to watch. But this film is not intended to be entertaining as many films are. The is a film for the art of film. Nothing more and nothing less. With that being said there is something in this picture for all movie-buffs around the world to appreciate. If you love writing, then you would be fascinated by the story's metaphorical undertones and its methods of approaching this story. If you love acting, Leo, Tom Hardy, and almost everyone in the cast will blow you away. If you love cinematography, you will be inspired by its use of natural lights only.

There is so much in this film that deserves to be spoken about and I don't have the room to state everything; so trust me when I say that there is at least one thing in this film you will like.

Getting into the plot, Leonardo DiCaprio stars as American folklore legend Hugh Glass who, after being ferociously mauled by a bear, sets out on a 200-mile journey back to civilization to get revenge against the trappers who left him for dead (believe me when I say that what I just described is only the tip of the iceberg, there is so much more going on in this movie then just that). The film is set in 1860s frontier America, during the final age of the Native Americans. The character of John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy) is at the dead center of Glass' revenge campaign so naturally he plays the villain.

DiCaprio's performance is an interesting one because it really goes deep in the heart of acting. He barely says anything in the film and the vast majority of his lines are not even in the English language. That alone is enough to receive recognition by the acting community. But there is so much more to his performance then that. He relies almost entirely on actions and facial expressions to sell his character (which he does an outstanding job of doing). The is the first time over the course of Leo's career, that he completely disappeared into his character. His performance is undeniably great and is on the same level as Daniel Day-Luis in “There Will Be Blood”.

Hardy, on the contrary, suffers from the same problem that he always does. His bizarre accents. Hardy, my message to you is: NO ONE CAN EVER THE FUCK UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU ARE SAYING! I understand that it is not really his fault (as he was likely told to speak the way he did), but its incredibly hard to stay immersed in the experience when all I can think about is: what the hell did he say just now? Its undeniable distracting and I can't help but take off points for that reason.

In conclusion, “The Revenant” is a film that you should definitely check out if you have the stomach to live through it. The film is definitely one of the better pictures of the year and it deserves all the money that it can acquire. However if you are not a film buff you will likely not enjoy it as much as you hoped to. There were a few minor issues with the acting and storytelling here and there, but overall it was fantastic.

4.75 out of 5 stars