The Revenant

It's been a day since I've seen The Revenant and I still can't get some of those images out of my head. Not that that's a bad thing. I've been looking forward to this movie for a long time. It stars two of my favorite actors and is from the director of Birdman. The movie is getting great reviews and I can see why. It really is one of the best movies to come out in awhile. 

The Revenant is set in the 1820's and stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Hugh Glads, a frontiersman who leads a fur trading expedition and brings along his son Hawk (Forrest Goodluck). One day he's brutally attacked by a bear and eventually left for dead by John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy), who murders Hawk in front of him (No, I don't consider that a spoiler. They show it in the trailer). Relying on his will to survive and a strong love for his family, Glass sets out to find Fitzgerald and make him pay for what he's done. 

Let me start off by saying this- if you are in any way squeamish DO NOT go see this movie! It is extremely brutal and graphic, especially the bear attack. You see every moment of Glass being shred to bits. I've got a pretty strong stomach and even I had to look away from the screen a few times. The special effects and make up teams did an amazing job not only with this scene but in general. It looked so real! I don't know how they did it without having Leo actually be attacked by a bear. 

Speaking of Leo- for the love of God Academy, just give him the Oscar right now. What else is it going to take? He gives one of the best performances I've seen in years. What I love most is that throughout the movie he really doesn't have that much dialog. A lot of his performance is through his eyes and facial expressions. Not too many actors can pull that off but he does. 

And then there's my man Tom Hardy, who I think does an amazing job as well. He is so good at playing a villain. It's never over the top though. He and Leo work so well together. Their scenes are so tense that it leaves you on the edge of your seat. I'm not sure if Tom will win Best Supporting Actor but he definitely deserves to be nominated. 

Of course, I can't write this review and not talk about Alejandro Gonzàlez Iñàrritu. He's one of the hardest working directors out there and has a true love for film. He's created a masterpiece here with breathtaking cinematography, long takes, and the way he angles the camera. There might be people who aren't going to care for the way he ended the movie. It's not bad by any means but it might leave some a bit confused. I was okay with it though. 

If you can handle it, I highly recommend The Revenant. It's a true work of art. My only regret is not waiting another week to make my top 10 list. I would have found a way to make room for this. 

My Rating: 10/10