Man struggles with nature in Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's visually stunning "The Revenant."

Inarritu is a maverick director in his search for visual intensity, whether it be the rhythmic long takes of "Birdman" or the gritty handheld filmmaking of earlier works. And while his other films undoubtedly are challenging and potent, none reach the dynamism of "The Revenant."

Set in the 1820s, the film tells the story of a frontiersman, Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio), who sets out on a journey to get revenge for the death of his son and for being left for dead. Shot in the freezing cold of northern Canada under the most adverse of situations, the film's narrative mimics its real-life production situation with Glass moving from one dangerous adverse situation to another. Just when he looks to get over the hump, he faces a more problematic conflict, whether it's getting attacked by violent natives, falling off a cliff or, in the film's most exhilarating and painful scene, getting attacked and annihilated by a bear.

"The Revenant" is a tough watch in many ways. Not only does Inarritu pace it slowly to let every moment play out in long takes, but there is some graphic violence to behold. The scene with the bear will make audience members turn away, the carnage on screen simply painful to endure. It is not unrealistic to expect viewers to clutch their throats or different parts of their bodies, feeling every blow delivered to Glass.

In another sequence. Glass rips out the intestines of a horse and then sleeps inside of its empty corpse. This film will make you feel dirty.

DiCaprio deserves tremendous credit for this visceral immersion for the viewer in what amounts to a rather quiet performance. He has no lines for over an hour of the picture, the camera instead following him as he slowly regains movement from the bear attack and then starts to walk. We are with him every step of the way and his pain becomes ours.

Other performances from Tom Hardy, Domhnall Gleeson and Will Poulter fill out this world. Hardy is second only to DiCaprio as the selfish criminal John Fitzgerald. While his actions portray his dangerous behavior, there is always a cowardly aspect to the character delineated by Hardy's measured and quiet speech.

That said, the real star of the movie is none other than cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki. Shooting the film with the sole use of natural light, the director of photography juxtaposes the natural beauty of the terrain with the harshness of humanity. We go from panoramic vistas that emphasize the grandeur of the world to tight and claustrophobic closeups inhabited by dirty and violent people. The choice of a wide lens throughout adds a slight fisheye effect to the closeups, adding to the distorted experiences of the humans in the wilderness, possibly hinting at them being a damaging force to the perfection of nature.

Nowhere is this better emphasized than in one of the film's first images. The camera slowly tracks a river with balance preserved throughout as we move up the river. Suddenly humans enter the frame and the sense of balance is disrupted and the camera starts moving about, the equilibrium of the previous tracking movement completely lost.

Even different characters get specific visual styles with Hardy getting closeups that emphasize his deceptive eyes while DiCaprio's entire body becomes the focal point of the camera. There is a meditative quality at work here that contrasts greatly with the more excited movement in "Birdman." This feels more like a Terrence Malick film from a visual perspective.

"The Revenant" might be the best film that Inarritu has made to date with the adversity of his filming schedule actually rubbing off on the authenticity on display. It is a film that will leave the audience completely brutalized, but there will be a stronger appreciation of the beauty around us thereafter.

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