Outstanding

Rating: 9/10 (27 April 2016)

Webster defines revenant as someone who comes back after death. (So reincarnation is real?) In 1823, frontiersman Hugh Glass (DiCaprio) is left for dead after a vicious attack by a bear that was only protecting her cubs. Glass somehow survives and must find John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy), who killed his son and who abandoned him.
I had reservations about watching this movie as I knew I will follow Hugh Glass, who will endure much pain for a very long time. Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Yes, Leo DiCaprio was awarded the Oscar for Best Actor. However, if truth be known, Leo DiCaprio should have won that award for Blood Diamond, or The Great Gatsby and possibly many more. He is that good. When a performer raises the talent level of all those around him, and does that often, he or she deserves the Oscar. Think about that, Academy. This cast performed beyond all expectations. And let's give some kudos to Director Alejandro G. Inarritu who put all this together and won the award for Best Director. Kudos.
Most of the movie is Glass' determination to survive the elements, Indians, and his own weakened health. One wonders how some of those scenes were done as they are simply breathtaking. Watch a horse and rider (Glass) go over a cliff into a tree. Wow! Glass swimming against a strong current. Hey, and let's not forget about the cameramen and the work they did. Outstanding.
Aside from all the survival tactics employed by Glass to survive, the plot is a simple one: Get healthy and find and kill Fitzgerald.
Subtitles were used generously mostly in the beginning and let's face it: they were not necessary. Also the Fitzgerald character (Hardy) was practically the only one to use F-bombs a lot when he didn't agree with the decision, by Glass, to abandon the river boat, hide the furs and walk back to the fort.
As I watched, I had the feeling that that here was DiCaprio winning the Best Actor Award. And it was sometimes hard to actually realize that Hugh Glass was a real person who lived through all this, and it was probably much worse than depicted as we saw on the screen by DiCaprio.
So when all was said and done and Oscars were awarded for Best Director, Best Actor, best Supporting Actor (Hardy), something was missing: The film did not get the award for Best Picture. Sad. (9/10)
Violence: Yes. Sex: No. Nudity: No. Language: Yes, mostly in the beginning.