The Revenant ★★★★★

DiCaprio gets really sad and cold.

Leonardo DiCaprio stars in Alejandro Iñárrituas’ film about an 1820s frontiersman who is left for dead when mauled by a bear, and seeks revenge. Also starring Tom Hardy, Domhnall Gleeson and Will Poulter.

It’s a good sign when a film running at over two and half hours never becomes in the slightest bit boring. A great sign, even. It doesn’t matter whether what’s on screen is a nail-biting bit of action or an emotional conversation (or simply beautiful landscape shots), The Revenant is always, consistently engrossing.

In part I think it’s because of how beautiful every single shot looks. I don’t mean that in a sweeping, generalised way; every single shot, every single camera angle is phenomenally stunning. I spent the runtime admiring the view like I would pictures of holiday destinations and desktop wallpapers (in the best possible way). Perhaps the ‘all natural lighting’ helped. Perhaps it’s just shot in absolutely gorgeous locations.

But then there’s also the outstanding acting from both leading men, DiCaprio and Hardy. Both are deserving of an Oscar for their roles here and yes, if they had to film in the actual freezing cold conditions their characters are supposed to be experiencing then it does take some of the acting requirement out of it, but I prefer to think that despite the genuinely harsh conditions they still managed to pull off two incredible portrayals. They aren’t subtle, and Gleeson’s acting almost comes across a little flat when up against such intense characters (not a criticism of him, of course), but they really are incredible.

There’s not much in the way of story, at least in a traditional narrative sense. There are little twists and turns, but rather the audience follows the hardship that Glass (DiCaprio) experiences and witnesses in his trek. There’s progress but, like his recovery, it is slow. There are some flashback sequences but for the bulk of the film there is no romantic subplot, there is no side story that ties in conveniently at the end. It’s a long, lonely and largely unspoken journey back, and it’s all the better for it. It’s all in the character, and as I’ve previously mentioned, it’s delivered in spades.

So rush out and see it, because it’s going to be very difficult for any film in the next eleven or so months to stake a claim to Film of 2016 above it. I’m not sure how true it is to the ‘real events’ it’s inspired by, and some scenes mean it may not be for those with a fainter heart. But if for nothing else, see it for the fact that it may, just may, be the film that finally earns Leo that Oscar.