Revenant, The

Chief Chick Comments

This film has won 3 Golden Globes for Best Film, Drama, Best Actor, and Best Director. It is nominated for 12 Oscars. I think Alejandro González Iñárritus does deserve the Best Director and expect him to win the Academy Award as well. While there is no doubt DiCaprio and all the other actors suffered mightily during the filming of this movie, there is no subtlety in their performances. DiCaprio's lines are no more than 20-30 although he grunts quite a lot as the wounded Hugh Glass trying to reach civilization and exact his revenge. If awards are given for hardship, then this movie deserves all of them. The scenery in Canada, the US, and Argentina, all in winter, is spectacular and stark. The shots up to the tops of old growth forests are incredible and eerie and, yes, beautiful. Beware, as I guess you already are, of lots of violence, blood, bear attacks, dead animals and dead people and just dirt and guts galore. Thank goodness I was born almost two centuries later than these poor souls. The truth of the story is that in 1823 a fur trapper, Hugh Glass was severely wounded and ultimately left by two other men, one being the evil John Fitzgerald, to die in the wilderness. In this movie, the story which has been enhanced and retold over almost 200 years, Glass has a teenage half breed son with his now dead Indian wife. The boy fights to keep his father alive and pays the price. As you may have seen from the trailers, Glass is buried alive presumably to die any minute but fights his way out of the shallow grave. With some help and some luck he survives. However, you may have to turn your head in some scenes. The movie does tell an interesting story but truly is about 30 minutes too long. I admire the director's work as well as the actors, but it is Iñárritus's genius in directing which is most deserving of credit and awards.

Flock Comments