Leonardo DiCaprio is a fantastic actor who has never won a single Oscar in his twenty year career.  That might all change with the release of his newest movie The Revenant, also starring Tom Hardy and directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu (2015’s Birdman).

The amount of stunts and action DiCaprio is willing to put his body through is pretty amazing and it shows with Revenant. The story begins in 1823, Hugh Glass (DiCaprio) is an injured hunter, who survived a bear attack, being left for dead by his comrade John Fitzgerald (Hardy). Glass vows revenge after witnessing the man kill his son, who was with them at the time. The rest of the movie shows Glass’s journey to recovery, escaping Indians, and breaking his body in the harsh Louisiana woods during the winter.

There’s barely any CGI in the film except for a few occasions, including a scene showing a massive herd of buffalo and a bear nearly killing DiCaprio’s character. Seeing DiCaprio being mauled by a bear was a brutal highlight of the film, as it got me questioning if the bear was real or not.  The opening battle between the hunters and the Indians was also great, reminding me of old western movies.

The movie is packed with action, brutality, and lots of drama. While the movie is amazing, there’s no such thing as a flawless film. The movie is loosely based of the real Hugh Glass, whose story is more awesome from the film counterpart. The real Hugh never had a son, and he only wanted to kill Fitzgerald because he abandoned him and stole his rifle. The addition of a never existing son annoyed me a bit as it was only added to make the rivalry more personal and dramatic. The film also has far too many scenes of DiCaprio having a dream about how horrible Indians have been treated after the  Europeans arrived, the dreams barely holds relevantly to the film until the ending. Another con is the treatment of the Indians, a lot of bad things happen to Indians to this film. It’s not necessarily a con to me since the film takes place during 1823; but if you don’t like the idea of Indians being shot, stabbed, hanged, or raped, then stay away from this film. The movie is also nearly three hours long.  This could feel like a chore to sit through for casual movie goers.

Overall, my final verdict for The Revenant is 4 out of 5 stars; a great film to witness action, shockers, and DiCaprio’s hairy beard, but not good for people who can’t sit through a three hour experience. The film has currently grossed 282.2 million dollars worldwide and has won 12 Academy Awards, three Golden Globes, and is now nominated for the Oscars.