Oscar Worthy

Rating: 8/10 (10 January 2016)

First off I'm a big Dicaprio fan and was hoping to see an Oscar-worthy performance out of him heading into this film. I expected the cinematography and directing to be excellent and I wasn't disappointed - I'd say this film is definitely worthy of an Oscar in both of those categories. Was Leo's performance strong enough to earn him his first win? I think so. It takes incredible artistry and talent to bring a character to life with very little dialogue. We the audience experience the character of Hugh Glass mostly through Dicaprio's facial expressions and body language as he navigates and endures the most brutal of realities. Dicaprio displays utter vulnerability and commitment to his craft in this film.
I never really consider going to see a movie twice, however the sheer beauty of this film...we the viewers are literally sucked into this Arctic landscape right from the beginning...makes it an enjoyable experience in and of itself.
One of my critiques though is that the movie does seem to drag in the second half. I'm also a little disappointed in how the revenge narrative played itself out in the movie...a little too straightforward and predictable for my liking. I think this movie showed it's strengths in other ways. Apart from its cinemagraphic brilliance, there were a lot of other side narratives that took place as Dicaprio's character journeyed along. These narratives seemed to have an intentional depth to them that made the movie so much more than just a revenge story and brought that entire place and time to life.
I think the last shot of the movie was also appropriate. The movie had a certain cadence that carried on from beginning to end. Tempo seemed to be important, and it left me feeling somewhat calm upon its conclusion.