Note to movie pussies: The Revenant is not for you. Life put the screws to Hugh Glass, the real-life tracker and fur trapper played to the hilt and beyond by Leonardo DiCaprio. And director Alejandro G. Iñárritu, a groundbreaker from Amores Perros to Birdman, damn near tortures his cast and his audience in telling the story of Glass' revenge against the varmints, headed by John Fitzgerald (a wicked-nasty Tom Hardy), who done him wrong. Set in the untamed West of 1823, it's one brutal, badass epic. But hang on for its unforgiving 156 minutes and you get to experience the power of cinema unleashed. Iñárritu and cinematographer Emmanuel "Chivo" Lubezki — a true artist of light and shadow — shot on locations in Canada and Argentina. The visionary result is so relentlessly raw you can see the breath of the freezing actors, some of whom referred to the filming as a living hell. 
 
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 Watching the movie, you feel their pain. In loosely adapting Michael Punke's 2002 novel, Iñárritu and co-writer Mark L. Smith spare nothing in immersing us in the savagery of Glass' narrative. Before we can even get our bearings, Glass and his expedition, led by Captain Henry (Domhnall Gleeson), are attacked, arrow to the jugular, by Arikara Indians. Casualties are great, though Glass strives to protect his half-Pawnee son, Hawk (Forrest Goodluck). In a style reminiscent of Terrence Malick, Glass hallucinates about his dead wife. But the scenes feel more arty than artful. We're relieved when Glass heads into the forest and a scene that will surely blow you away. 
 
 I'm talking about the bear, a mama grizzly who lays into Glass like a demon possessed. Early on, The Drudge Report mistakenly implied that DiCaprio's character was raped by the bear. Everything but. Mama is just defending her cubs. But when she flips Glass over on his back, you can hear his bones crack. And then she comes back for more. When she claws at his face, Glass looks like something Freddy Krueger left for dead. The sequence is spectacular in every sense of the word. OK, the bear is a product of an expert visual-effects team. But not for a second will you doubt you're seeing the real thing. This is one for the time capsule. 
 
 And the wonders rarely cease. Though Glass resembles a hacked side of beef, Henry instructs Fitzgerald and young Jim Bridger (Will Poulter) to stay by his side, if only to provide a proper burial. Fitzgerald's mercenary reaction can be summed up in two words: Fuck that. 
 
 No one does villainy laced with traces of humanity like Hardy. Pleased to bury Glass alive, Fitzgerald heads off to line his pockets. But Glass won't stay buried. He drags his carcass across mountains, rivers and rapids to exact retribution for the evil done to him. 
 
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 That's the movie. And a visceral punch in the gut it is. You could gripe about the excess of carnage and lack of philosophical substance. But surviving nature is Iñárritu's subject, and he delivers with magisterial brilliance. As does the haunting score by Ryuichi Sakamoto, Alva Noto and Bryce Dessner. 
 
 And then there's DiCaprio. Hidden behind a grotty beard, his words mostly reduced to grunts, he nonetheless provides a portrait of a man in full. It's a virtuoso performance, thrilling in its brute force and silent eloquence. Nominated by the Academy for What's Eating Gilbert Grape, The Aviator, Blood Diamond and The Wolf of Wall Street, DiCaprio is favored to win this time. But that's not the point. His talent is. The Revenant shows DiCaprio stretching his acting muscles, testing himself, eager for challenge. That you do not want to miss. ||||| Everything screams primal in “The Revenant”—the lethal force of a wild animal, the savagery of man against man, the sustaining power of revenge, and the beauty of vast, snowbound lands seemingly untouched since the Creation. Leonardo DiCaprio is Hugh Glass, an explorer and guide who is left for dead by his hunting team after being mauled by a grizzly bear. Tom Hardy is John Fitzgerald, the despicable team member who betrays him. Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s tale of survival, set in the American West in the 1820s, was based in part on the book by Michael Punke; Mark L. Smith wrote the screenplay with the director. The film,... ||||| The Revenant, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s follow-up to his Oscar-winning Birdman, plays like a cross between Terrence Malick and Sam Peckinpah. As unlikely as such a conflation might seem, the result works - sometimes to stunning effect. In a year when no fewer than five films have dealt with themes of man vs. nature and survival (including The Martian, Everest, In the Heart of the Sea, and A Walk in the Woods), The Revenant is by far the most brutal, challenging, and astounding of these. 
 
 The Revenant is adapted from the novel by Michael Punke which in turn is a fictionalized account of the life of frontier legend Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio), a man who survived a bear mauling and, badly injured, traveled more than 200 miles across the 1823 wilderness to safety. The script (co-written by Inarritu and Mark L. Smith), using material from the book, enhances Glass’ journey, both physical and emotional, by giving him a Pawnee son, Hawk (Forrest Goodluck), and a more tangible reason for revenge against the men who left him behind, John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy) and Jim Bridger (Will Poulter). 
 
 The Revenant is at times dreamlike, with gorgeous cinematography by Emmanuel Lubezki, who turns the frigid, wintry backcountry into a land that is equal parts forbidding and beautiful. The film is peppered with ground shots looking up at the sky through the trees and there are numerous extended takes (although nothing to compare with the “one-shot” of Birdman, for which Lubezki won his second consecutive Oscar). The comparison to Malick is not coincidental; Lubezki has lensed Malick’s five most recent features, dating back to The New World. 
 
 This was by all accounts a difficult shoot with Inarritu driving cast and crew with a James Cameron-like unwillingness to compromise. (DiCaprio, who participated in Cameron’s shoot for Titanic, was apparently unfazed by some of what Inarritu asked him to do.) The movie was shot on location in cold climes using natural light (no cozy studio scenes with wintry conditions imposed via CGI). The realism permeating the screen seeps into the theater. The urge to put on a coat and hunker down in the seat is almost overpowering. 
 
 The word “revenant” refers to an animated corpse that has returned from death to haunt the living. It’s an apt descriptor for the film. The title character, Glass, is attacked and nearly killed by a bear while leading a small group of trackers to safety after a fur gathering expedition is ambushed by Arikara warriors. Although Glass manages to kill the grizzly, he is believed by the other members of the party to have suffered mortal injuries. The commander, Andrew Henry (Domnhall Gleeson, considerably more subdued than in The Force Awakens), decides to press on but leaves three men behind to care for Glass while he lives (and to bury him when he dies). They are Glass’ half-Pawnee son, Hawk; the young and impressionable Jim Bridger; and the cynical John Fitzgerald. 
 
 Not long after the company’s departure, Fitzgerald determines that the best solution for all would be to put Glass out of his misery. When Hawk objects, Fitzgerald stabs him to death then buries Glass alive. He and Bridger depart but Glass is able to crawl out of the grave, cauterize his most serious wounds, set his broken leg, and start the long trek to civilized lands. This journey occupies approximately half of the movie’s 150+ minute running time and showcases the most raw, primal performance DiCaprio has ever given. For an actor who made his reputation being a box office idol, there’s nothing attractive or physically alluring about him in this role. 
 
 In a movie replete with unsettling moments and memorable scenes, the one most likely to disturb is the mauling. Presented without cutting away, The Revenant gives a realistic view of what can happen when a man comes face to face with an enraged mother bear protecting her cubs. The scene is bloody and brutal and some viewers may find it too intense to watch to completion. Fair warning to those who choose to see The Revenant: this sequence spares neither the character nor the audience. 
 
 Inarritu opts for a somber tone. Revenge films are often fueled by testosterone and anticipation. Neither is much in evidence here. It’s a slower, more serious-minded motion picture. Technically, The Revenant is a Western but, like most recent films of that genre, it can be considered a “revisionist Western” in that it dispenses with the traditional “cowboys and Indians” stereotypes in favor of more balanced interpretations based on human nature. That is, some of the Native Americans are warlike and bloodthirsty but others come to Glass’ aid. On the other side, Henry is helpful and sympathetic while Fitzgerald is the movie’s chief villain. 
 
 The Revenant is an experience - a more visceral and devastating look at seemingly impossible survival than even The Martian (although I would argue that the latter is, on balance, a slightly better film). Perhaps what’s most impressive about this film is how different it is from Birdman - an indication that Inarritu continues to challenge himself and his actors. The Revenant isn’t for everyone - it asks more from its audience than the average motion picture - but for those to whom the subject matter appeals, it will be among 2015’s most memorable theatrical options. 
 
 Revenant, The (United States, 2015) ||||| Published on Sep 29, 2015 
 
 When all is lost, you fight. Watch the new trailer for The Revenant Movie, in theaters this December. 
 
 
 
 Inspired by true events, THE REVENANT is an immersive and visceral cinematic experience capturing one man’s epic adventure of survival and the extraordinary power of the human spirit. In an expedition of the uncharted American wilderness, legendary explorer Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio) is brutally attacked by a bear and left for dead by members of his own hunting team. In a quest to survive, Glass endures unimaginable grief as well as the betrayal of his confidant John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy). Guided by sheer will and the love of his family, Glass must navigate a vicious winter in a relentless pursuit to live and find redemption. THE REVENANT is directed and co-written by renowned filmmaker, Academy Award® winner Alejandro G. Iñárritu (Birdman, Babel). 
 
 
 
 Director: Alejandro G. Iñárritu 
 
 Screenplay: Mark L. Smith & Alejandro G. Iñárritu, based in part on the novel by Michael Punke 
 
 Producers: Arnon Milchan, Steve Golin, Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Mary Parent, James W. Skotchdopole, Keith Redmon 
 
 Original Music by: Ryuichi Sakamoto and Alva Noto 
 
 
 
 Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, Domhnall Gleeson, Will Poulter 
 
 
 
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– Leonardo DiCaprio plays 1820s frontier legend Hugh Glass who runs afoul of a grizzly bear and is left for dead in The Revenant. Thankfully, he survives to put on an epic, yet gory show en route to revenge. Early reports claimed Leo has this year's best male actor Oscar in the bag. Do critics agree? Alejandro Iñárritu's follow-up to Birdman "features a battalion of very fine, hardworking actors, none more diligently committed than Mr. DiCaprio," writes Manohla Dargis at the New York Times. "Iñárritu isn't content to merely seduce you with ecstatic beauty and annihilating terror; he wants to blow your mind," and at times he succeeds. But then he "blows it when he moves from the material to the mystical and tries to elevate an ugly story into a spiritual one." "Few heroes in movie history have endured more torment than this one," and "in a role with little dialogue, Mr. DiCaprio summons up impressive resources to convey the horror of Glass's plight," writes Joe Morgenstern at the Wall Street Journal. But "everything screams primal in The Revenant—the lethal force of a wild animal, the savagery of man against man, the sustaining power of revenge," he adds. "I came out of this would-be epic feeling physically exhausted, psychically mauled, and none the better for wear." The flick isn't for everyone, "but for those to whom the subject matter appeals, it will be among 2015's most memorable theatrical options," writes James Berardinelli at ReelViews. It's "a more visceral and devastating look at seemingly impossible survival than even The Martian," and features "gorgeous cinematography." Its subdued nature also helps showcase "the most raw, primal performance DiCaprio has ever given." A warning: the bear scene may be too bloody for some. But bear the suffering and you'll be rewarded with "the power of cinema unleashed," writes Peter Travers at Rolling Stone. "Surviving nature is Iñárritu's subject, and he delivers with magisterial brilliance," while DiCaprio supplies "a virtuoso performance, thrilling in its brute force and silent eloquence." Travers can't help but mention that bear scene. "The bear is a product of an expert visual-effects team. But not for a second will you doubt you're seeing the real thing," he writes. "This is one for the time capsule."