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(Stunning tale of survival and revenge)

Hold on to your seats for a two and a half-hour stunning, relentless tale of survival and revenge.

“The Revenant” stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Hugh Glass, a fur trader in the old West, left in the wilds for dead by his colleagues after a brutal attack by a bear.

It is a down and dirty tale of both survival and revenge, as Glass fights for his life after sustaining painful wounds, crawling over snow and ice, surviving freezing cold rapids (the one flaw in the movie, where hypothermia surely would have done him in), and surviving attacks by French traders and Indians.

In addition to being one exciting movie, “The Revenant” raises many issues that are still relevant today. While the Indians are referred to as “savages,’ and at times they are, the French and the Americans also behave savagely at times.

With the fur traders facing death, what was their obligation to saving a man who himself was near death?

Just when you think Glass may make it, in spite of his wounds and the insurmountable odds he must overcome, something else happens that threatens his survival. The will to survive is strong, surely based on the need for retribution.

Director Alejandro Gonzalez has added so much to the movie, including terrific surround sound. The movie opens with the gurgling of a rushing stream that draws you right into the power of nature and continues to capture your attention throughout. The scenes of the rough terrain, winter storms and natural beauty of the land also capture your attention.

The contrast of man’s and nature’s brutality are very realistic and may be tough for the very sensitive to watch. If you want adventure, action, surprises and great acting, this is the movie for you.

Rated R because of the profanity, bloody violence and even a brief nude scene.

I had to look up revenant in the dictionary. It means a person who goes missing.