"The Revenant" is a triumph in filmmaking, but not so much in storytelling.

Rating: 8/10 (3 February 2016)

First and foremost I know that storytelling is an (if not the most) essential part of filmmaking, but when I use the term in my title here I refer to the superb cinematography, the top-notch acting performances and the all-round exquisite film language used by Iñárritu.
The only part that pushed my rating down to an eight (which is of course still a marvellous score) was the storytelling. This is a very straight-forward narrative with a very clear beginning, middle and end. That is not necessarily a bad thing but in this movie I sort of lost my interest a little bit in the middle of it, albeit very briefly. The comeback of Hugh Glass to the civilised world seemed stretched out a bit too thin for me. I get that meeting a friendly First Nation, who is later lynched, is an important narrative element in order to not portray these people as just the "bad guys" in the story. However, this sequence felt highly superfluous to me. The beginning and the ending were much stronger though quite predictable. But as is done too often, much of this is forgiven through the magic of the words "based on a true story". So the story, in all its simplicity, left me a bit disappointed.
Luckily Iñárritu hits a home run on every other aspect of his movie. The imposing landscapes and the overall look of the film, which somehow just exudes the cold, effortlessly draw you into the movie. The cinematography is truly breath-taking. As are Iñárritu's signature long tracking shots which add to the realism. This sense of gritty reality is best felt during the fight scenes. Especially during the final climactic duel between Glass and Fitzgerald, where it is nearly impossible not to flinch.
The same praise goes to the incredible acting performances. Though that is to be expected with a cast like this one. DiCaprio does an incredible job, which we are used from him, though sometimes he goes so far that his acting borders on a theatrical performance. Then again, that is not necessarily a bad thing, especially not in a story like that of "The Revenant". It is however Tom Hardy who, in my opinion, steals the show here. While he has played some great bad guys in the past, this role might be my favourite of his. He manages to keep your attention at all times as he delivers his hard and cold-blooded dialogue with impeccable timing. A truly riveting performance, so interesting to watch Hardy immediately sucks up all the attention when he's on screen. Looking to the other cast members I can say that Domhnall Gleeson continues to do a great job as we have seen so often the past year (seriously, it feels as if he has been in every good film these last years) and Will Poulter honestly surprised me, though I have not seen enough of him yet to justify my surprise.
To summarise, if you are only looking for a great story, you might be leaving the theatre a tad disappointed. However if you accept the simplicity of the narrative and just enjoy the fantastic movie- making that is masterfully displayed by Iñárritu and his crew, you might leave your seat with a feeling of exhilaration, just like I did.