Film review: 'The Revenant"

"The Revenant" is a brutally beautiful story of survival, revenge and love. It's dazzling to look at as it cuts to the bone of human endurance. 

In the 1820s, a group of fur traders is viciously attacked by Native Americans. Let's face it, having been robbed of their way of life, their dignity and their land, it's no wonder they're on the warpath. The surviving traders embark upon high-tailing it back to camp. During the treacherous trek, Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio) is severely mauled by a grizzly bear and left behind to be tended by Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy), Bridger (Will Poulter) and Glass' half-native son, Hawk (Forrest Goodluck). 

The unscrupulous Fitzgerald buries Glass alive, murders Hawk and then merrily moves on his way, forcing the reluctant Bridger to accompany him. But Glass, who witnessed the killing of his beloved son, is so hell bent on exacting revenge, that he basically wills himself back from the edge of death and struggles in desperate pursuit of Fitzgerald.

Director/co-writer Alejandro Inarritu, fresh off his heels after scoring Oscars for Best Director and Best Picture (Birdman) last year, looks poised to repeat the feat with "The Revenant." A majestic masterpiece can only begin to describe the look and feel of this brilliant work of art. From the terrifying bear assault to the jaw-dropping cinematography to the spirituality of its content, "The Revenant" grabs you into its icy grasp and never lets go.

Dicaprio pulls out all the stops, enduring unforgiving, brutal conditions to deliver the performance of a lifetime. All of the actors were pushed to extremes (40 degrees below zero temperatures on location in Canada, Montana and Argentina) but it's Glass' story. And DiCaprio lives up to the overwhelming challenge relentlessly. An Oscar nod looks inevitable.

On an existential level, "The Revenant" delves into the extremes. It begs the question, how far will one go to return evil? For Hugh Glass, the will to assure that outcome kept him alive amidst the most grueling of situations. In the end, he experiences an epiphany.

"Revenge is in God's hands, not mine."

And all is right in the world ... right?