The Revenant (2015)

Director: Alejandro G. Iñárritu

How many times have the bad boys tried to catch, beat and kill Leonardo DiCaprio? Well, almost every time we see Leo on the screens, but they almost never manage to bring him down. 'Cause DiCaprio is a tough nut, and this film is yet another proof that he's not going to stop until he gets that golden statuette. It seems as if all the previous roles have been adding up to this one, as if this is the final showdown and Leo wants the jury to finally believe in him (and it's high time they did it or I don't where this world is going). Although DiCaprio has nothing to proof; he's a superb actor and we all now it; 99,99% of the world's population knows it, just the Academy seems to have been living on a completely different planet.

But enough about Leo; there's another very important man we should talk about, and that's Iñárritu. "The Revenant" has probably changed they way we look at real cinema. Actually, Iñárritu has set the bar pretty high. This survival/ revenge drama has been filmed entirely using only the natural light. No electrical lighting, no gimmicks, just the raw Canadian and American wilderness in all it's glory and the genuine, heartfelt actors' emotions and portrayal. It can't get any more real than this. With only about one and a half hours of perfect light a day to nail the shot in the remote areas where "The Revenant" was filmed (major props to the incredible cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki), it took Iñárritu nine months to achieve the unachievable.  

And talking about the plot, the story is based on true events. It's set in the 19th century, and we follow the unbelievable adventure of High Glass, an American trapper who, after being attacked by a bear and left alone to die, travels more than 1,500 miles to get revenge on the men who considered him too weighty to carry along. Moreover, all the things and acts you'll see, even the most disgusting and incomprehensible ones... well they happened at some point in time. If you struggle to survive, you'll eat a raw fish or a Bison liver, and you'll eventually turn into a savage. And you know what? Leo did it all because being phony is not his thing. And the rest of the cast did the same; they all took it to the extreme (Tom Hardy surprised me in particular); they all endured the horrible weather conditions, hours of make-up, and can definitely say that this is the most challenging part they've ever played.

Even though the story itself doesn't seem that big of a deal, the way it's brought to life and presented to us leaves you speechless (multiple times, trust me), engages your attention and makes you really feel for the characters. Not a single minute was I bored while watching "The Revenant", and what makes the film even greater is that there is no clear-cut ending to the story, thus there is still room for imagination and creativity. 

Long story short - prepare to be amazed real bad!