Blood, sweat and tears in-front and behind the camera

Rating: 8/10 (24 January 2016)

Leonardo Dicaprio in yet another Oscar-nominated leading role. This time he embodies the most physical role of his career. Muttering minimal dialogue (sometimes not even English) all the while going thru hardship after hardship. He plays a man with nothing left to lose but a riveting will to prosper.
But yet again as we've seen in the past, Leo doesn't steal the show. The ensemble cast is terrific. Domnhall Gleeson is understated and professional, Will Poulter is the most relatable, being naive and trusting in a world full of selfishness he's a character we feel for. Tom Hardy as his leery self is as grumbly and mumbly as ever, he plays a despicable man terrifically. That being said his character is complex, not just another cardboard cut out embodiment of evil, instead he's a man of his time, ruthless and degenerate while all the while still admired albeit in a nasty way.
The technical aspects of this film are terrific but may come off as pretentious to some. Iñárritu and lubezki push the boundaries of modern film yet again, a period piece shot like a documentary sounds arty and shite on paper but on the big screen it is completely immersive.
The film is not perfect... Heavy handed in it's message and literally Gladiator in early America. But these obvious minor flaws are outweighed by the proficiency and skill of a great crew with everybody from cast to cinematographer on top form giving it there all. You can not only feel the toil on the screen but from behind the camera as well.