The Revenant

[kevinknapman]

The first Odeon Screen Unseen of 2016 delivered a truly stunning piece of filmmaking with Alejandro González Iñárritu's The Revenant.

Gutting Michael Punke's 2002 novel about fur trapper Hugh Glass, mauled by a bear then left for dead by two men from his own hunting party, with the same kind of ruthless efficiency that Leonardo DiCaprio guts then climbs inside of a dead horse to keep warm (it's that kind of a film), The Revenant is a gruelling, often unbearably tense revenge thriller that clearly prides itself on being as much an endurance test as it is a piece of entertainment.

Kicking off with a brutal attack on the hunting party by Ree Indians (the first of several effective set pieces), Iñárritu makes it clear that this is going to be an authentic depiction of an unforgiving wilderness (if not of the real life of Hugh Glass himself) and not for the faint of heart. And that's before we even get to the bear attack which finds DiCaprio tossed around like a helpless rag doll.

DiCaprio throws himself into all of this with an unenviable level of commitment, whether it's eating raw bison liver or climbing inside the aforementioned animal carcass. Little wonder he decided to take a break from acting once filming finished. Some will no doubt dismiss this as a desperate bid for that ever elusive Oscar, but he has rarely been better. Tom Hardy and Will Poulter are also excellent as Fitzgerald and Bridger, the two men who leave him for dead. While Domhnall Gleeson adds another solid performance to his increasingly impressive CV.

Fine cast aside, the real star of The Revenant, for me, is cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki. Iñárritu's desire to film using only natural light is a challenge that Lubezki rises to with extraordinary results. The film is full of some of the most stunning imagery I've seen on the big screen in quite a while. If he manages to pick up his third Oscar in a row (after Gravity and Birdman) it will certainly be well deserved. Even if that means the great Roger Deakins misses out yet again.

Complementing all the above is an amazing score by Ryiuchi Sakamoto and Alva Noto (with additional music from The National's Bryce Dessner).

At a punishing 156 minutes and with a deliberately slow and measured pace, The Revenant won't be to everyone's taste but those willing to make the journey should find it a deeply satisfying cinematic experience.

[The Sparrow]

It's not a film I can say I "enjoyed" mainly because it is so brutal at times but it's a damn fine film.

How anyone can watch a pirate copy of this film is beyond me as no way would you get to see the fabulous cinematography in all its glory.

[alythonian]

Edinburgh Lothian Road screening was really busy. I guess the £5 tickets help a lot?!
This is not the film to watch if you want cheered up or to feel cozy. It is long and slow but those are not criticisms, they help make the film what it is. Leo is good in it as are the British/Irish main supporting cast. The haunting score really adds atmosphere and the landscapes are wide and empty.
Not something you so you enjoy, but really a film to appreciate.
8/10

[KobeWorst]

My film of the year so far and get the feeling it will still be among my favourites come December.

Visually stunning and very immersive, the 'bear scene' was some of the most realistic CGI I've seen in a long time. Thought the casting was spot on and LD did a great job of representing the anxiety and tension I felt as a viewer.

Without doubt something that should be viewed on a big screen, if you missed it hopefully it will be back at cinemas after if gets a few Oscar nods next week.

[raj101]

as accurate depiction of the brutal WildWest as you'll ever see, though the other side is that I would have happy for the film to go on much longer so gorgeous is the scenery.

Bear is unbelievable. However I very much disagree that Leo was Oscar material or close - he barely speaks and its a performance all about grim stoney glares, and simply putting up with shyt that some normal people have to do all their lives doesn't warrant getting an acting medal - acting is whats needed! Hardy's performance puts his in the shade, he is barely recognisable. The very deliberate fawning of LDC into the camera at one point was obviously included to cater for its star, even though it was not an inappropriate moment in the movie for it.

4 stars.

[missgotty]

Saw this awhile back just after it came out, and had a lot of trouble trying to find a cinema with decent enough seats as everywhere had sold out. This tells much about the level of hype about this film.

I thought it was quite a good film, didn't like how the film ended after Leo's character went to great lengths to track down the evil man that wronged him. Brilliant bear scene. Although I think it's definitely about time Leo won an Oscar, I didn't think his performance in this film was good enough. There are some more obvious films he should have won for. However this film is stunningly shot and kudos Tom Hardy, he plays evil very well and did a better job on the acting front than Leo.

7/10