Critics To Leonardo DiCaprio On "The Revenant's"

Critics To Leonardo DiCaprio On "The Revenant's" - Leonardo DiCaprio is garnering early Oscars buzz for his role in "The Revenant," which hits theaters in limited release on Christmas Day. The film, which pairs DiCaprio with Oscar-winning director Alejandro G. Inarritu ("Birdman"), is inspired by the life of mythical explorer Hugh Glass. Last March, near the scheduled end of six months of shooting in and around Calgary, Canada, the filmmakers behind the 19thcentury revenge epic "The Revenant" realized they had a problem. A somewhat flaky problem. Snow, the key ingredient in the naturalist film's production design and backdrop to its climactic showdown, was nowhere to be found. It wasn't on the Alberta prairie, had gone missing on the vast expanse of Fish Creek Park, had up and evaporated from the precipitous foothills of the Canadian Rockies.Based on Michael Punke's novel, "The Revenant" chronicles one man's adventure of survival in the early 19th century American wilderness. "It's a really primal story of man and the natural world," DiCaprio told The Associated Press. "It's almost biblical." The 19th century survival epic, which was filmed in Calgary, Alberta and Argentina, co-stars Tom Hardy, Domhnall Gleeson and Will Poulter.

Here's what critics are saying about "The Revenant":

"DiCaprio's performance is an astonishing testament to his commitment to a role. That's really him plunging into that river. That's him staggering half-naked through the teeth-chattering cold. That's him grabbing a fish out of icy waters and eating it raw."

"I think 'The Revenant' is, on the whole, pain without gain, but it's certainly a tour de force -- literally, a feat of strength. DiCaprio, Inarritu, cinematographer Emmanuel 'Chivo' Lubekzi, and their collaborators hauled themselves through the Canadian Rockies and deserve what respect one can muster, although their artistry is finite, a test of will and pyrotechnics and, yes, traditional masculinity instead of a search for what illuminates man's inhumanity to man."