**Movie Review** The Revenant

   Is revenge worth it? Does the actual act bring the satisfaction that would justify everything what you've done or given up to achieve it or is it a hollow act that won't change a thing? Further is it best to seek the revenge yourself and possibly lose everything about yourself with no gain or to let the universe play out as it would and "let god decide" what the fate/punishment should be. Its questions like this that lay in the heart of "The Revenant" and what makes it one of, if not the, best movie of the year.

   The movie stars Leonardo DiCaprio, in a soon to be Academy Award winning performance, as Hugh Glass. A trapper/scout in Lewis & Clark era America as he is leading a group of fur traders through the wilderness with his son Hawk (Forrest Goodluck). After a escaping a raid by a group of Native Americans, who are searching for their Chief Elk Dogs (Duane Howard) daughter, Glass is savagely mauled by a bear. With Glass barely alive and slowing the remaining members of the expedition as they try to carry him to the nearest fort, Captain Andrew Henry (Domhnall Gleeson) offers $200 to the 2 men who will stay behind with Glass until he dies and give him a proper burial. John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy), a seasoned trapper who thinks the humane thing to do is kill Glass now and save him and themselves the pain/effort, and Jim Bridger (Will Poulter), a young and naive member of the party, take him up on the offer and offer to stay behind. After a few days, with Glass still clinging to life, Fitzgerald becomes restless as winter is closing in and they still have the tribe of Natives following them. Fitzgerald talks to Glass, telling him to just give up and die, and then attempts to kill him. Fitzgerald is interrupted by Hawk however and ends up killing him right in front of a incapacitated Glass. Fitzgerald then tells Bridger the Natives have caught up to them and they need to leave immediately, he then proceeds to halfway bury a still alive Glass and Fitzgerald and Bridger leave him behind to die. Glass however doesn't die and slowly regains his health as he sets out with the only goal of finding Fitzgerald and avenging his son.

You will pay for the Bane voice Hardy!!!!

   What follows is not only a revenge tale, though it certainly is that, but also an examination of the lengths of man's cruelty to each other and how much can will one man endure to achieve vengeance. This is shown not only through Glass's journey but also through Elk Dogs as he searches for his daughter. Elk Dogs men kill every group they come across in the wilderness in their search but have such tunnel vision they miss the obvious answer that's right in front of them. It also shows up the other side of the argument from Fitzgerald's point of view as we grudgingly admit that while we don't agree with all his actions his general idea of ones man's life not being worth two others is true. Why should three men die so one MIGHT live a few hours longer? Again its these questions that are subtly asked throughout that will stick with you long after you leave the theatre.

No bear i said no autographs!!!

   So lets get into the specifics here, this movie looks absolutely amazing. That the filmmakers went to areas never before seen on film and that they used entirely natural lighting give this movie an almost dreamlike beauty at times. Stunning snow covered plains and mountains give way to rivers and rapids that looks simply pristine. You can almost feel the cold coming off the screen at points, which only lends more credibility to the universally amazing performances we see throughout. All the rumors and stories of how difficult and demanding this shoot was paid off big time as this is a masterclass in cinematography and directing.

Such beauty and such isolation

   Lets get to the star of the show which is the acting. Leonardo DiCaprio is mesmerizing in the role of Hugh Glass. The anger, rage and pain he's able to show without words is incredible. For a huge chunk of this movie he doesn't say a word, and when he does its not always in English either. It turns out he doesn't need to though as his physical performance conveys exactly what he's thinking and feeling at any moment. You can feel his agony as he drags his mauled a body across the ground and feel the cold as he jumps into a river to escape capture/death. That's to say nothing of the other physical challenges of eating raw meat or taking a page out of "The Empire Strikes Back" to survive the night. DiCaprio went for broke in this movie and it paid off in a huge way, probably right to the Oscar. Not to be outdone Tom Hardy is also stupendous as Fitzgerald. While no doubt the villain in this movie Hardy is able to give the character a slight hint of sympathy as well. In his view everything he's done is just too survive, not out of any malicious intent. It makes you understand what he does even if you don't agree. The rest of the supporting cast also excel. Domhnall Gleeson and Will Poulter both excel in lesser roles but the true supporting star of the show is once again the scenery as it completely sucks you into the whole experience.

Soon to be dual Oscar winners maybe?

   So should you see this movie? Absolutely. Whether you prefer revenge flicks, actors movies or extremely gorgeous vistas this is the movie for you. There's a reason its nominated for 12 Academy Awards and will probably win allot of them. It is almost 3 hours long which can be a bit much for some people but its definitely worth it.

Skip the large drink or this will be you holding it in by the end of the movie

**Overall Score: 10/10**