The Revenant - A-

Rated R, 156 minutes

The remarkable, brutal and brilliant "The Revenant" is one of the year's most intense films and a must-see. Directed and written by last year's Oscar-winner for director Alejandro G. Iñárritu and based on Michael Penke's nonfiction novel of the same name, "The Revenant" is loosely inspired by real events and characters and perfectly captures the brutality and survival of the fittest, with a heavy dose revenge and redemption. If you saw Iñárritu's "Birdman" last year you know what a unique experience that was; "The Revenant" is a better film on many levels and should wow those interested in the technical side of filmmaking. In an expedition of the uncharted American wilderness, legendary explorer Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio) is brutally attacked by a bear and left for dead by members of his own hunting team. In a quest to survive, Glass endures unimaginable grief as well as the betrayal of his confidant John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy). Guided by sheer will and the love of his family, Glass must navigate a vicious winter in a relentless pursuit to live and find redemption. The satisfying, entertaining "The Revenant," in all its brutality, isn't a film for everyone, the violent, bloody bear attack early in the film is considerably difficult to endure, but you won't look away, either and is a worthwhile experience in the end that will stay with you after you leave the theater. It also helps that the movie is a technical achievement, with Oscar-winner Emmanuel Lubezki's breathtaking, gritty photography the real highlight and could give him his third Oscar in a row after winning for 2013's "Gravity" and Iñárritu's own "Birdman" last year. The revenge narrative is well-worn, and its mid-section could've been trimmed down some, but Iñárritu and company draw you in and don't let you go until the bloody, final showdown between two of cinema's foremost method actors, DiCaprio and Hardy, both of whom are shoo-ins for Oscar nominations. Speaking of DiCaprio, and truthfully speaking I'm not his biggest fan - yes, this turn seems as shameless as Anne Hathaway's "Les Miserable" grab for the golden guy - but it's also an admittedly memorable one that should catapult him to Oscar glory; by the time he hops into a gutted horse to stay warm during a brutal winter, you're thinking this guy will do anything to get that Oscar. I say it to him and go on.  Awards aside, "The Revenant" is a worthwhile, superbly acted film you should make time for this winter.