Stunning visuals, engrossing action sequences and two wholly dedicated performances recommend this harrowing revenge western.

Auteur writer-director Alejandro González Iñárritu, expands on the true accounts of 1820's frontiersman Hugh Glass, to weave a tale of violence in service of love and its loss. As Glass, a never-better Leonardo DiCaprio encounters native tribes, french trappers, icy rapids and a bear on a quest to avenge his murdered family. On his bad side is Tom Hardy as the grizzled, half-scalped betrayer taking flight.

Defining much of the 156-minute proceedings, is the cinematography of technical master Emmanuel Lubezki, whose tracking shot set pieces are worth the price of admission. Shooting exclusively in natural light, and seamlessly incorporating special and practical effects within these long takes, he achieves an immersive quality that propels the languid narrative. Sound and make-up design also excel, further evoking the remote Dakotan setting. A few action moments require a slight suspension of disbelief, but The Revenant remains a graphic and transportive film, and one of the year's best offerings.

Final Grade: A | 95/100 | ★★★★