In the wake of his snappy and
delightfully trippy continuous-shot mindfuck of an Academy Awards winner for
Best Picture, ‘Birdman,’ Alejandro G. Iñárritu follows up with ‘The Revenant,’ a harrowing tale of
survival and revenge set in the wild and uncharted territories of early 19th
Century America. In so doing the critically
acclaimed Mexican director, whose previous credits include ‘Amores Perros,’ ’21
Grams,’ ‘Babel,’ ‘Biutiful’ and ‘Birdman,’ is now a perfect 6-for-6 at bat in being
nominated in at least one category for each and every one of his movies at the
Oscars. Now that’s what you call an
Oscar-darling.
Based on Michael Punke’s bestselling
novel of the same name, ‘The Revenant’ is the unbelievable but true story of
Hugh Glass, a wilderness guide and trapper on a pelt hunting expedition in the harsh
and unforgiving territories of what is now North Dakota and Montana. After being badly wounded by a grizzly and
left for dead by his erstwhile fellows, Glass managed to overcome great odds to
survive, trek across hundreds of miles while evading hostile Native Americans, and dish out
righteous retribution against the trapper (John Fitzgerald played by Tom Hardy)
who murdered his half-Indian son Hawk and unsuccessfully tried to kill him. As the movie’s protagonist, Leonardo DiCaprio
delivered yet another Oscar-worthy performance and opened our eyes to a time
when men were made of much sterner stuff.
More than simply a historical
epic, ‘The Revenant’ is a marvelous odyssey and a true testament to the
strength of will and fortitude of spirit.
Combining the humanism and mysticism of Kevin Costner's ‘Dances with
Wolves’ with the action-adventure and storytelling of Michael Mann’s ‘Last of
the Mohicans,’ ‘The Revenant’ adds proof to the pudding that AGI is one of the best
directors working in Hollywood today.
Grade: A
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