The Revenant is the most picturesque bloodbath seen on screen ever. The cinematography by Emmanuel Lubezki is breathtakingly beautiful. Tom Hardy plays the ruthless villain to perfection. But towering above all is Leonardo DiCaprio deserving his much elusive Oscar for his extraordinary performance.
Fur trapper Hugh Glass (DiCaprio) is abandoned by his comrades after he is mauled by a bear and has to use every resource to survive in the wilderness. Set in 1823, this film is loosely based on a true story and outlines his tale of loss, survival and revenge.
Critics
Beauty and brutality are balanced equally well in this fable, set in a time when America was still the Wild West.
The wilderness is depicted amazingly by cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki (Gravity, Birdman), who along with Inarritu reportedly insisted on shooting only when natural light was available.
Actor performances aside, you can tell that the visual canvas of this film is the work of perfectionists. And those visuals gel excellently with the graceful score, courtesy Ryuichi Sakamoto and Alva Noto. From the first frame, you know you’re in for something special and it’s pretty clear that Leonardo has given his everything to this film.
This is probably one of those very rare pieces in the long list of Hollywood Movies which could subtly capture the spiritual side of a human being blending finely with the display of the most powerful human will to live.
Without too many dialogues involved, the depiction of survival, fear, death, pain and anguish are so raw yet so surreal which is quite a rarity in itself. This film stands a class apart in its cinematography, visual effects and brilliant action by Tom Hardy and of course my dear darling Leonardo. Leo gave in everything he could to this film and you can see the result right there on the big screen. A must watch piece.
Critics rating -4.5/5
Average viewers rating -4.5/5
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, Domhnall Gleeson, Forrest Goodluck, Will Poulter, Paul Anderson
Direction: Alejandro González Iñárritu
Genre: Thriller
Duration: 2 hours 38 minutes