You will appreciate your central heating far more, after this film

The Revenant is a fine film, exceptionally well made and directed. The cinematography, sound and gory make-up are all stupendous. The acting is determined, brave and clearly is 'award-worthy'. This is a good film, but it is not a great one... Frankly I think the story stretches credulity to the point where you are thinking "really... really...?!?!" And that is not good for a movie, especially one purporting to be like real life then, rather than the fantasy it must be.

I have mixed views as to whether Leo should win the Best Actor Oscar for this movie: along with the rest of the cast & crew, making this movie must have hurt... lots. (That water looked mighty cold!). But there is not much subtlety in this film and the journeys made are physical not psychological. But maybe it is his turn... finally?

Morality features large in this narrative and emerges in good (and bad) forms in some surprising places, given the brutal and raw context. Some people do some very right things while others do some very wrong ones.. And of course this comes from all quarters, and with echoes of Fitcarraldo, Little Big Man and Soldier Blue, is about the individuals not just the culture in which they were raised.

And so it is with leadership: there is only so much a leader can do to create a culture that is honest and moral. Beyond that individuals make choices. The role of the leader therefore is not only to set the context but also the structures for supporting those who act with integrity and hold those who do not, to account.

How are your moral structures holding up?

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This is Blog 143 in my 2014/15/16 series of blogs about leadership ideas to be found in the movies of our time. You can read here as why I began doing this (with an update at the end of 2014 and 2015). Please subscribe to this blog if you want to read more. Thanks. Click the label 'film' to see all the others.