Marval Movie

The Revenant understands, if nothing else, that you can't go easy on your main character if you want to create a sense of accomplishment.

We open with water, a group of hunters are stalking local game for their pelts, they are then quickly ambushed by the Native Americans. One of the men leading them is Hugh Glass, with him is his son (Forrest Goodluck) also a Native American. Their company flee and take what pelts they can.

The images of nature and men with weapons being in a situation beyond their control as well as the driving force being madness bring to-mind Werner Herzog's Aguirre The Wrath of God. But in the mix is also voice over and a Japanese use of what Roger Ebert coined as "pillow shots" which invokes the feel of a Terrance Malick movie.

While out scouting Glass spots a few bear cups, which are then followed by their mother. What ensues is a brutal desperate fight for survival, which Glass wins, but along with all the bruises and claw marks it also cuts his throat which renders him mute for a long period of time. He cannot move but he is not dead, he was the reason all of them are still alive so their captain (Domnhall Gleeson) refuses to shoot him on the spot. He does become a weight on the party so three stay to take care of him his son, the young solider (Will Poutler) and Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy). Fitzgerald has no patience for taking care of Glass and wants to end him, in his attempt Glass son intervenes which leads to Fitzgerald stabbing him to death right in-front of his father, he then tricks the young solider into abandoning them, and even throws Glass into a grave and pours on some earth. Leaving him. But he drags himself out and crawls through the snow and the cold and stars his quest for revenge.

From this point on everything that would be a inconvenience happens, everyone that he would rather avoid finds him, all the breaks that could make his journey easier are denied. This is one of the toughest, unsympathetic journeys a main character has ever had to endure in movie history.

Di Capprio has been denied an Oscar of for both Django Unchained and The Wolf of Wall Street. If he doesn't win for this one then he will either seek an even greater, more daring role or he will give-up entirely (I hope it's the later). He abandons all sex appeal typically associated with his screen persona and goes for a bare-knuckle, dirty, desperate personification of a man that is driven beyond the limits of his body and the ideal of revenge. 

Just like the directors, Alejandro G. Inarritu, last movie Birdman he likes long takes. In this project he does allow editing so no illusion of one long take for the entire movie like his last one, these are more reminiscent of Children of Men.

Though it may exceed its welcome when you get into the last half-hour and Inattitu allows himself to be a little to artsy for the subject matter. This is a movie with bold cinematography and shooting style along with an unrelenting plot on the main character that will have you staring at the screen in awe, fright, amazement and discussed. But always staring and never blinking.

Rating: 3 1/2 stars out of 4