Survival of the toughest

Rating: 9/10 (20 April 2016)

'The Revenant' is more a survival story than a revenge story, where the surrounding (and amazing) landscape often dwarfs the story. Tom Hardy turns in the role of his life to date, playing an antagonist whose point of view can be argued reasonably enough that he doesn't come off entirely as a cartoonish black hat villain. There are several scenes that are pretty much instant classics, including the opening one, where the director's "follow the ball" tendencies serve well to capture a sprawling battle in an open wooded area. Leonardo DiCaprio obviously suffered for his role, as one could easily surmise based upon some of the shots filmed on freezing and harsh locations, and certainly earned his "Best Actor" Oscar.