‘The Revenant’ Review: Leonardo DiCaprio Has Never Been More Oscar Worthy

Leonardo DiCaprio rises from the dead in his new gritty, compelling drama ‘The Revenant.’ This is a Leo you’ve never seen before, and I truly believe this is the year he’ll finally get to take home the gold statue.

Leonardo DiCaprio, 41, wows in his most intense drama to date. He plays a man who comes back from the brink of death and vows to avenge the death of his murdered son in The Revenant. The 5-time Oscar nominee is nearly unrecognizable in the role of the frontiersman, and he deserves nothing more than to walk away a winner at the 2016 Academy Awards.

The Revenant is truly an amazing film. From the first shot to the last, the cinematography is simply stunning and will take your breath away. But the best thing about The Revenant is Leonardo DiCaprio. His character, Hugh Glass, is attacked by a grizzly bear in one of the most brutal and shudder-inducing scenes in modern film history. But it only gets worse for Glass. He’s left for dead, and his son is murdered by one of his fellow men, Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy).

Despite the devastation and physical pain he’s endured, Glass only has two choices: be the hunter or become the hunted. He chooses the former and crawls for miles in the vicious cold on a quest to find Fitzgerald and get his revenge. He has to learn how to survive alone, and the bitter isolation that jumps off the screen is not for the faint of heart.

Leonardo’s performance during this journey is astounding. You can feel the agony he’s feeling. With what we’ve heard went into this film, including the bitter cold weather and long hours, the pain on Leo’s face is likely real. He doesn’t speak for a decent portion of the film, yet he still manages to keep your attention. This tremendous feat is what takes his performance to the next level.

One of the things I admire most about Leo is the fact that he goes after different roles. His last role, which was Jordan Belfort in The Wolf of Wall Street, and this role are polar opposites. He’s been long overdue for an Oscar, and I truly hope that this is the role that could get him the coveted gold statue. After watching The Revenant, you simply cannot deny him that.

As a whole, the film is sublime and unforgettable. Alejandro González Iñárritu‘s work is an incredible triumph. Every scene in The Revenant looks like it’s out of National Geographic and captures the beauty of a world not yet marred by technology.

The supporting performances are equally brilliant. Tom Hardy, as the sleazy and unintelligible Fitzgerald, is dazzling. He was put on the earth to be a truly great villain. He is primal and chews up every scene. Domhnall Gleeson and Will Poulter also give A+ performances. But at the end of the day, The Revenant is and always will be a total victory for Leonardo.

HollywoodLifers, what did you think of The Revenant? Let me know!