Extremely Violent, Harsh World Without Much Dialogue

Rating: 6/10 (8 January 2016)

"The Revenant" should be rewarded for beautiful cinematography during the awards season. It is difficult to understate the gore and graphic violence on display. In the early going, the trapper played by Leonard DiCaprio is nearly eaten by a bear, and his throat is mauled. Thereafter, there is almost no dialogue from him. This film takes place in the western U.S. in the 1820s and purports to be a true tale about an adventurer named Hugh Glass.
The director does not shy away from any of the bloody cruelty suffered by the protagonist. The environment is hostile because both man and beast are ferocious. Men are vicious and untrustworthy.
Adding to the unintelligible dialogue are the native American dialects which were spoken (with subtitles.)
Even though we witness terrific violence and slaughter, the carnage is laid out as simply factual. We know little about the lead character except that he has a strong survival instinct.
It reminded me of work by Terrence Malick - the minimization of dialogue and the lack of human connectedness.