Revenge just for revenge's sake

Rating: 5/10 (7 March 2016)

First of all: Yes, I am glad that Leo got the Oscar. Finally. 'bout time. Although I have to say that he had about a dozen movies deserving it better than this!
A man witnesses the murder of his son and ever after fights his way through all obstacles to take revenge on the murderer. So far, so fair. Anyone being a parent would relate to that one. But anyone who has lost a dear one will also know: Hate, pain and desperation can be eased by nothing... ... except maybe forgiveness. Only like half an hour into the movie I knew: He mustn't get his revenge. If this movie is worth only a penny he mustn't get his revenge. The rest is quite a bit to watch. Lots of very beautiful landscape shoots. A hell of a lot of blood and guts and disgust. Leo is suffering and suffering and suffering, he fights and fights and still keeps on fighting. In the end he arrives at the Fort, he finds his enemy, he dares him and at this point of the story you start asking yourself what's this all about. What is the point? What does it want to tell us? The murderer says a quite reasonable thing in the end. He says: This is your revenge, enjoy it, but it will not bring your son back. That's it. It will not bring him back. There are too guys with nothing left to loose and they lay in the snow fighting each other, trying to cut off as many limbs as possible but - why? Where's the sense? They could stand for the insanity of mankind itself. Could be. Next moment the Revenant remembers something: Revenge is not upon man it is only upon god. This would have been a good punch line. Let go of it, it doesn't bring you any relief. However revenge is not upon god in that movie, at least not if god isn't an old Indian chief who was in search of his kidnapped daughter all along. The Revenant lets go off his enemy and witnesses how he gets killed by the Indian tribe. He himself gets spared because he accidentally saved the life of the Indian princess earlier. The end is a bit ... flat. Uninspired. Plain. Would have been waiting for more deepness. Leo had a bunch of real deep roles in other movies making of him the actor he is and for being the actor he is he got the Oscar. It's alright with me.