Winner best use of a horse.

Rating: 8/10 (20 January 2016)

Unless you've been in a cave, you know this is the story of a frontiersman mauled by a bear and left by his comrades to die. It is a classic man against nature survival story. Add in bad guy French trappers, mostly hostile Native Americans and greedy deceitful individuals that round out the characters.
The real star is the environment. It is beautifully photographed. Plenty of ice, snow, running water and wind in the trees. The fact that this movie was made in obvious treacherous locations is just amazing.
Leonardo DiCaprio had best clear space on his mantel for all the awards he will pick up for this performance. In a time of dialogue driven movies, he is too cold, too alone and too hurt to say much. His performance is all over his frosted face. Tom Hardy is a bit of a one note bad guy. Will Poulter, best in "We're the Millers" was distractingly miscast.
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu deserves the credit for getting this made and making it in what seemed like unworkable conditions. Unfortunately the hand of the director is felt more then once in distracting flashbacks and the now signature Inarritu levitation of characters.
The movie is too long, yet some things seemed rushed. Why did the Pawnee Indian leave DiCaprio except for a dramatic highly staged later scene? Why didn't the Captain take more men to track and capture Fitzgerald? The writer and director and the audience knew it would come down to a DiCaprio, Hardy fight at the end. The unsubtle tattoo on the girl and the marking on the canteen are fodder for future satire.
See this in a theater on the biggest screen available. There is a turn your stomach level of violence and gore. It may not be a good time at the movies, but it is remarkable movie making.