Film Review: The Revenant

The Revenant. Rated MA15+ (strong bloody violence, themes and sexual violence). 156 minutes. Directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu. Screenplay by Mark L Smith and Alejandro González Iñárritu. Based in part on The Revenant: A Novel of Revenge by Michael Punke.
 
Of The Revenant’s many contradictions, the main one is how a true story of such relentless brutality can also be one of the most beautiful films in recent memory. It is a film that you will often want to hide from as much as be hypnotised by its immense natural splendour, photographed to perfection by cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki (Birdman, Gravity, The Tree of Life).
 
It is 1823, and fur-trapper Hugh Glass’ (Leonardo DiCaprio) ordeal begins in the deceptive tranquillity of a swiftly flowing creek, where he and his son Hawk (Forrest Goodluck) are stalking their prey. At the base camp nearby, the other trappers, lead by the wound-up John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy), are preparing to load their precious cargo onto a boat when they are attacked by hunters from the Native American Arikara tribe.
 
Those lucky enough to escape the truly merciless attack, decide to head inland and back to the relative safety of their fort. During a moment of rare respite, Glass finds himself in the presence of two bear cubs and their very angry mother, who wastes no time in taking on the threat to her young.
 
Miraculously, Glass survives the ferocious attack, only to be deserted by Fitzgerald and the young Bridger (Will Poulter), who were to stay with him until he either died or help returned. Dragging himself from his shallow grave, Glass begins his impossibly challenging journey home.
 
Iñárritu (Birdman, Babel, 21 Grams) commands every element of his uncompromising masterpiece, with DiCaprio, and each member of the outstanding cast, delivering performances that are more like incomprehensible feats of endurance. For those who love riveting survival stories, The Revenant is one of the very best – an immersive, unforgettable cinematic experience.
 
This review was commissioned by the West Australian Newspaper Group.

Film Review: The Dark Knight Rises

The Dark Knight Rises. Rated M (violence). 164 minutes. Directed by Christopher Nolan. Screenplay by Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan.        

Verdict: An overwhelmingly masterful experience of the perfect fusion between creative vision and cinematic storytelling.

With the final instalment to his Batman trilogy – Batman Begins (2005) and The Dark Knight (2008) – Nolan has delivered not only one of his finest films, but one of the best films of the year, if not the decade. From the extraordinary opening aerial sequences to the final five best movie minutes in recent memory, Nolan and his team immerse us – flawlessly – into an overwhelming experience of the perfect fusion between creative vision and cinematic storytelling. It is, in short, brilliant, masterful work.

With the Batman (Christian Bale) in retirement and nursing his physical and psychological wounds, the evil Bane (Tom Hardy, pictured) unleashes his dire plan for the domination of Gotham. When his mother’s precious pearl necklace is stolen by cat-burglar Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway), Batman finds himself forced back into defending the now entirely lawless Gotham from Bane’s destructive ambitions.

Film Review: This Means War

This Means War. Rated M (sexual references, action violence and coarse language). 98 minutes. Directed by McG. Screenplay by Timothy Dowling and Simon Kinberg.

Verdict: A slick, classy, charisma zone. Just don’t expect too much.

With his screenplay for Mr and Mrs Smith (2005), Mr Kinberg created an ideal vehicle for Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie who polished off the roles of married assassins who had been hired to kill each other. As one of the three writers credited with the screenplay for Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes (2009), he also shared responsibility for the forensically researched blueprint that ensured this film had the potential to reach the cinematic heights it did. Add Mr Dowling, whose light, breezy and entirely predictable screenplay for Just Go with It (2011) ticked all the rom-com boxes, and you end up with a satisfying explanation of all that is good about This Means War.