J-Bang Reviews Presents: The Revenant

"Revenge is not in my hands. It's in God's hands." "The Revenant" is visually stunning and is an expertly filmed piece of cinema. While it is impressive in style, it is also compelling in substance. "The Revenant" follows Hugh Glass, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, and his journey of survival after being attacked by a bear. Once he sustains life-threatening injuries, his group of men decide to live him behind but not before traitor, John Fitzgerald, played by Tom Hardy, kills his son right in front of him. This motivates Glass to trek through blizzards and rivers alone and in pain so that he might find Fitzgerald and kill him for what he has done.

If I had to describe "The Revenant" in one word, that word would be intense! The cinematography is used to capture the vast emptiness and overwhelming beauty of the wilderness. And when the action started to ramp up, "The Revenant" uses natural light and "really close" close-up shots to make everything feel more intimate. It is as if the audience is going through that traumatic experience along with Leonardo DiCaprio. 

Besides the surprising brutal opening battle and the traumatic bear attack scene, "The Revenant" is supplied with a very skilled cast of characters. Tom Hardy portrays John Fitzgerald as a rotten racist coward who only cares about his payment and his own survival. Domhnall Gleeson is Andrew Henry, the Doctor of the group of hunters that who reluctantly left Glass for dead, as well as apparently the only authority their town. And what can I say about Leonardo DiCaprio?! If his portrayal of Glass hasn't proved himself "Oscar Winner worthy" yet, I don't know what will?! 

"The Revenant" is a trippy, yet convincing tale of using revenge as motivation to survive. It is beautiful to watch as well as intense to experience. Leaving the theater, "The Revenant" had me feeling all sorts of vengeful for no particular reason. Which is a good thing, because after I saw "Mad Max: Fury Road," I had a strange, unstoppable urge to go Go-Kart racing. Anyway, "The Revenant" gets a J-Bangin score of 4.7 out of 5.