Cold and brutal survival tale

The Revenant
English (A) ¬¬¬
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, Domhnall Gleeson, Forrest Goodluck
Director: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu

Set in a cold and brutal 1800s, a group of pelt hunters is attacked by American Indians, and their leader Captain Henry (Gleeson) decides to dump their goods and return home. Their survival in the snow-capped highlands depends on Glass (DiCaprio), an experienced explorer who had a son named Hawk (Goodluck) with a Pawnee woman.

However, Glass, who is seriously wounded by a bear, is left behind by the team with greedy Fitzgerald (Hardy), another young man and Hawk. Their assignment is to look after Glass and to give him a burial if he dies. However, Fitzgerald kills Hawk and cheats the young man to leave Glass to die. And as expected, Glass regains conciousness and he begins his journey for survival and revenge.

This Western, unlike most which have desert and dry settings, boasts of extraordinary performances by both DiCaprio and Hardy. In fact, Hardy is so realistic one can hardly recognise him as the villain.  Behind the excellent cinematography by Emmanuel Lubezki, the film is engaging to the core. You can feel the coldness as DiCaprio’s fine acting brings a realistic feeling to the screen.

With a runtime of over 2 hours and 35 minutes, “The Revenant” is a brave attempt by Oscar-winning director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu. While the story comes with an ‘already known’ climax, there are lots of realistic scenes you can appreciate. However, despite the finest of performance from DiCaprio and Hardy, “The Revenant”, is not an entertainer, nor is it made for all audience.