An exceptional piece of cinema

Rating: 10/10 (4 February 2016)

I have now seen this film twice in four days and the second viewing affirmed what I thought after the first, This is an exceptional piece of cinema. The caveat to that is that folks who like to be spoon fed their entertainment may find it difficult viewing in places but be assured it is exceptional for a number of reasons in my view. Not least the casting, from the Hollywood mega stars(Leo&Tom) to the relatively unknown (to me) Native Americans. The other most important ingredient is the setting, harsh in the extreme.. All played their roles superbly with an unbelievable sense of the time in history when it is set as much as we can really understand what life was really like then. I would assume, pretty 'brutal' by the standards of modern western society. I had no trouble hearing and understanding the dialogue but often it was not greatly of consequence whether understood or not because there is a continuous sequence of events which leads to a fairly likely conclusion. On first viewing I did have a sense of wondering what was going to happen next most of the way through and unlike some reviewers I was not 'bored' for a moment, so much of what occurred was so dramatic as to be a constant chain of surprises, knowing from the meaning of the title what the final outcome would be.I should point out that both viewings were on the biggest screen of my local complex and I sit fairly near the front to get that totally imersive experience.I don't know where the filming took place but wherever, it was a good platform for early 19th century 'back of beyond' USA and that coupled with the unrelenting precipitation of snow or rain gave the whole thing a feeling of great authenticity.I have noted one or two reviews have been very picky about details but for me it was an outstanding piece of drama presented to the highest production values in a staggeringly beautiful if somewhat bleak, at times, setting. Not for watching on a phone or an ipad but as I said to start with an exceptional piece of cinema with outstanding performances from Leo and Tom especially.