Not as good as I hoped

Rating: 7/10 (10 June 2016)

There is a great story here but every cliché from every native American conflict film is in it. The pace of the film seems to wander and reminded me of Alejandro González Iñárritu's previous film Birdman - which I did like. The hero - Hughe Glass wants to jump into freezing water at every opportunity which does get a bit irritating. The cast and acting hold the film together although Tom Hardy does mumble a bit. The story is the powerful part of the film and the direction should not get in the way, for example David Lean and Lawrence of Arabia. The CGI bear is not as realistic as it could be. The make up on the Native Americans is believable and highly menacing, the subtle colours worked well. If you are going to watch it make sure it's on Blu Ray as the scenery is stunning.