Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s The Revenant offers a surplus of talent in this fictionalized retelling of the experiences of 19th century frontiersman Hugh Glass. The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy as Hugh Glass and John Fitzgerald respectively.

The story begins in 1823, and follows a military expedition that is hunting for fur pelts in the unsettled territory of Montana and South Dakota. Among the group are Fitzgerald and Glass, who is with his son, Hawk. After fleeing from a hostile Native American tribe, Glass is mauled by a grizzly bear and severely wounded. Unable to take Glass back to their fort, the group’s commander, Captain Andrew Henry (Domhnall Gleeson), orders three men stay behind to comfort him before he dies. Hawk and Fitzgerald are among them, the latter of which only agrees at the prospect of a large bonus in addition to his contract. Believing it is a waste of time and effort, Fitzgerald attempts to kill Glass while the other two men are away. Hawk catches him and is killed in the ensuing battle, in front of his father’s eyes. Lying about his actions to the third man, Fitzgerald leaves Glass for dead and makes his way to join the rest of the group. The movie follows Glass on his path to survival, revenge and redemption as he slowly recovers from his wounds and tracks Fitzgerald down.

The film is vibrant and carefully wound together with excellent dialogue, scenery and action scenes. While it does drag on a bit during some stretches, the story hits on its detailed narrative and climatic ending. The film nails several spiritual and imaginative scenes in which Glass sees his dead wife, many of which encourage him to keep fighting. These are crucial to the overall story and add an emotional side to the adventure.

The film is aided by a masterful soundtrack from composer Ryuichi Sakamoto which incorporates elements of fantasy, nature and exploration. The stunt scenes are amazing as well. Throughout the course of the movie, audiences sees Glass shot at by natives, fall over a waterfall and go over a cliff on a horse, as well as the pivotal scene in which he is attacked by a large grizzly bear. DiCaprio, who just won a Golden Globe for the role, embodies Glass with his steely resolve and gutsy performance.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys action, adventure and a heartwarming story of survival and redemption.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars