With three Golden Globe wins under its belt, including best actor and best movie, and Oscar nominations including best movie, best director and best actor, The Revenant is on course to be one of the biggest movies this year. So with all that buzz surrounding it, is it worth a watch?The opening scene with the Arikara tribe and fur trappers is a savage fight with such intensity that for the viewer it becomes more of an all-encompassing experience than just merely watching it. It sets the tone perfectly for what is to follow.
Inspired by true events The Revenant is brutal. Violently brutal with graphic close up injuries it hammers home the savage nature of the American frontier in the 1800s. It tells the harrowing story of legendary fur trapper Hugh Glass who was mauled by a bear and left for dead by his hunting partners.
The scene itself with the bear is not for the squeamish. It’s visually stunning yet terrifyingly violent. You can almost feel the bones breaking and flesh being torn as he is savaged over and over again.
Leonardo Di Caprio
Leonardo Di Caprio stars as Hugh Glass and quite frankly he is superb. From start to finish his ability to embody the character and his struggles is flawless. His performance is authentic, raw and emotional. I’m not at all surprised he is being widely recognised for the role. Equally engaging is Tom Hardy as John Fitzgerald, the man who left him half buried in the dirt and murdered his son in front of his eyes.
Against incredible odds Glass manages to survive both the bear attack and being left for dead. He literally drags himself across the vast treacherous landscape fuelled by a thirst for revenge. Along the way he encounters again the Akikara tribe and narrowly escapes death once again.
Eventually making it back to camp and realising that Fitzgerald had told the hunting party he had died and Hawk his son had gone missing, Glass puts the record straight and prepares for the final hunt of Fitzgerald who has fled.
Tom Hardy
Along with leads Hardy and Di Caprio the supporting cast includes Domhnall Gleeson (Brooklyn) and Will Poulter (The Maze Runner). The Revenant is part based on the book The Revenant: A Novel of Revenge by Michael Punke. Its directed by Alejandro G. Inárritu (21 Grams, Babel) with a screenplay by Mark L. Smith (The Hole) and Alejandro G. Inárritu.
It’s savage, its brutal and it explores the incredible spirit of man and his thirst for both revenge and redemption. At 2.36 hours it’s a lengthy movie and it dangers of feeling a little slow at times. Despite that, for me its a triumph in film making and its best seen on the big screen. While critics across the globe are applauding it, I suspect it may divide the regular movie going audience. I’m giving it 4 out of 5. Check out the trailer below,