Ashdoc's movie review---The Revenant

by ashdoc Mon Feb 29, 2016 4:48 am

The scene is of the wild west ; but instead of the action being fought out in the desert , the events occur in a scenery abounding in the vastness of snow . Leonardo di Caprio is guiding a troop of american soldiers in treacherous territory swarming with native Americans who rightly feel that the descendants of europeans have illegally grabbed their land . His troops have already suffered a devastating attack in which many of their men were killed by the natives....and it is his job to find a way through all this to safe territory . The few men left with him depend on him to carve a way through deep forest and tall mountains and winding rivers...all this in the notoriously cold climate .

But fate strikes a cruel blow in the form of a bear who attacks Leonardo savagely till he is badly wounded . The scene of the bear attacking is so real that it was tough to watch....I was watching through the gap in my fingers covering my face . Frankly , after this everyone hopes that Dicaprio falls dead so carrying him won't be a burden on them . But the captain of the troops offers an award to anyone who will stay behind to take care of Dicaprio . And two men volunteer to stay .

But one of them forces the other to abandon Dicaprio and they leave him to die . Also they kill Leonardo's half native son ( born out of a relationship with a native american woman ) who tries to stop them .

So will Leonardo live ? Will he survive the bitter cold and the snow ? Will he survive the wounds caused by the bear---which fortunately have been stitched by the captains orders ? Will he survive the swarms of native americans swarming the territory with hate for their european descended conquerors ? What about the fire of revenge that is burning inside him because of the murder of his son ?
Watch the movie for the answers....

The director has created some really tough conditions for Leonardo to survive---watching them is an entertaining ordeal . The colours of the film are dull , which serve to highlight the starkness of the topography and the realism of the film . Photography is splendid---of water dripping from melted snow , of cavalcades of animals rushing through the landscape , of reindeer crossing slithery rivers , of rivers curving through forests of tall trees photographed from high vantage points , of snow gliding down from tall mountains .

All through this Leonardo sees visions of his long dead wife encouraging him on . The fighting is really grim---bullets fired through accurate rifles and deadly arrows fired by native americans which find their mark . The action lacks the self mocking nature of other films ; every fight is a fight for life , for survival against the odds....and the film is dead serious with no funny one liners or wise cracks....serious enough to win an oscar or two .

Verdict---Good .

Four stars .