THE REVENANT (B)

If acting is reacting (and many would argue that it is indeed just that) then Leonardo DiCaprio should have his long overdue Best Actor win in the bag come Oscar Sunday.  Both he and Tom Hardy are brilliant in this hauntingly brutal, atmospherically immersive and breathtakingly bitter flick.  A tale of survival, a tale of revenge: The Revenant – a stunner on the cinematography front as well – will mesmerizingly drop you in to its frost-bitten ferocity with reckless abandon and little regard.  And aside from the entire running time of May 2015’s Mad Max: Fury Road, the let’s-get-the-ball-rolling, inciting incident here – in the form of a grizzly attack – is one of the most visceral things you’re likely to experience on screen in years.  With all that’s good-to-great swirling around this epic, it still took me a second viewing to almost fully appreciate its near-brilliance…  There’s a ribbon of sporadic spirituality to it that never fully worked for me and, sadly, kept the film too long winded and the running time too damn robust.  Keep things taut and efficient, shave the unnecessaries and focus solely on the survival/revenge aspects – with these minor tweaks I would have gladly accepted this as the frigidly maniacal masterpiece that it almost was…  The Revenant is very good – but still an odd case where I found myself wanting less and yet simultaneously craving a tad bit more.
 
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, Will Poulter and Domhnall Gleeson

Directed by: Alejandro G. Iñárritu (Birdman, 21 Grams and Babel)
Rated: R

Running time: 2 hr. 36min.

Story: Inspired by true events, THE REVENANT captures one man's epic adventure of survival and the extraordinary power of the human spirit. In an expedition of the uncharted American wilderness, legendary explorer Hugh Glass is brutally attacked by a bear and left for dead by members of his own hunting team. In a quest to survive, Glass endures unimaginable grief as well as the betrayal of his confidant John Fitzgerald. Guided by sheer will and the love of his family, Glass must navigate a vicious winter in a relentless pursuit to live and find redemption. (C) Fox

Website: www.foxmovies.com/movies/the-revenant