“The Revenant,” a 2015 American western epic film directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, grabs the viewer’s attention from the start and never lets go.

The  screenplay by Mark L. Smith and Iñárritu is based partly on Michael Punke’s novel, “The Revenant,” and is inspired by the experiences of fur trapper Hugh Glass in 1823 Montana and South Dakota. It stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Glass and co-stars Tom Hardy, Domhnall Gleeson, and Will Poulter. Development for the movie began in August 2001. “The Revenant” won three Golden Globe Awards, and has been nominated for 12 Academy Awards (the most for the 2016 ceremony), including Best Picture, Best Director (Iñárritu), Best Actor (DiCaprio) and Best Supporting Actor (Hardy). As of Feb. 7, 2016, “The Revenant” has grossed $149.7 million in North America and $176.4 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $326.1 million.

“The Revenant” is based on a true story that was written by Michael Punke. The film does an overall good job of staying true to the actual book’s storyline, however there are of course added fictionalized events to enhance the plot of the movie. It faithfully centers around a fictionalized version of Hugh Glass (DiCaprio), a real-life man of the West who worked for the Rocky Mountain Fur Co., guiding fellow fur trappers through enemy territory. Theirs is a life of hard work, little food, and frequent contact with enemies who want their goods, as we see when the men are attacked without warning by the Native Americans.

The film has invented some extra obstacles for Glass of course. It is snowing throughout the movie, even though in real life his journey took place during the summer; the Native American track him and chase him into a tree; he has to hollow out a dead horse to make himself a sleeping bag. “The Revenant” is brilliantly filmed none the less. The film does a great job of bringing history and an exciting story together. Overall, after watching “The Revenant,” the viewer will be left amazed with the story of what Glass had to go through. The added fictionalized situation of Glass witnessing his son being killed right in front of him and not being able to do anything about it, gives the film a deeper story and really draws the reader in. The viewer will be glued to the screen until you see Glass get his revenge on his son’s killer.

Overall, Leonardo DiCaprio does a great job at handling the lead role of Glass and therefore deserves the Oscar for his brilliant performance. “The Revenant” will have Leonardo DiCaprio putting on a performance unlike anything previously seen from him, playing a dirty, rugged mountain man named Glass, whose real-life survival ordeal is that of a legend.

What would you do for vengeance? What conditions could you survive to get it? Or would you just give up? Many of our favorite movies often drop questions like these into our lives. “The Revenant” has this power. After watching the movie, it lingers. It hangs in the back of your mind and it will stay with you for quite some time. I’d give “The Revenant” a 9 out of 10 star rating and would definitely recommend the movie to anyone that wants to be left speechless.

By Khaleb King