Film No. 87 (2015) The Revenant December 7th.

Film No. 87 (2015) December 7th.  6.45 PM LUNA Leederville. 

"I ain't afraid to die anymore, I've done it already" (Come the haunting words of Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio) as we strap ourselves in for 150 minutes of an excruciating endeavour of survival) 

 

There were so many firsts for me in experiencing this riveting, powerful drama, The Revenant, which depicts survival of the most excruciating kind. I've now seen an opening stanza that outranks Saving Private Ryan for sheer exhilaration and the realities of battle. The bear sequence is the most original and traumatic example of animal to man combat seen on screen for all time and so the list goes on. 


Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu returns after the Oscar successes of Birdman only a year ago to show us he remains on top of his game. 360 degree camera movement is a trade mark of his work and while one may have thought Birdman took us to places we'd never been, The Revenant takes his techniques to new levels of excitement. The story telling this time takes us to a landscape so cold and barren the talk is, Alejandro put cast and crew at risk to get many required shots.


We meet DiCaprio's Guest in the wilds of 19th century Canada. He is the forward scout for a band of pelt gatherers (hunters). Within minutes of the opening sequence the band is reduced to a few after the native Indians slaughter them in a bid to regain their territory. Guest and his comrades escape downstream on the boat they arrived on. Guest comes from a complicated past, which we learn about through well manipulated dream sequences. His son, who he protects with passion, is by his side so we get to understand about the depth of their relationship. Enter Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy) an antagonist of epic proportions. The band's efforts to get home are interrupted by an incident so brutally honest one won't forget the screen experience any time soon. The rest of the journey becomes a tale of survival and ultimate revenge.


This will be an Oscar nominee for Best Picture I have no doubt. I rate it as the favourite to win with the only thing standing in it's way being Gonzalez' 2015 win. The Academy is fickle over those types of issues. DiCaprio, Hardy and Gleeson play roles so different from their normal personas we have to think twice to remember that it is in fact them. But most importantly, if the drama on set was as high as it was reported to be, you won't be surprised because you'll be feeling as battered and as bruised as Leonardo by the closing titles. If adventure is your favourite film genre, do not miss The Revenant. 11GUMS.