This Winter Trek has taken a turn. No longer is it about observing unique scenery and braving adverse weather conditions. Now it is about logging the miles and making a couple of family visits. Today I crossed the great state of South Dakota with only a stop at a rest area and a stop for gas. The weather was clear and dry, with no ice or snow on the road. The plainzy landscape had snow--left over from the semi-blizzard one to two weeks ago. I made it to Sioux Falls in time to make the early showing of "The Revenant".
In two prior posts I have pointed out that I listened to the audiobook of Michael Punke's The Revenant. I wanted to see the movie while it was on the big screen and while the book was still fresh in my memory. I had a hard time following the first half of the movie because while the characters were mostly the same and some major events were the same, it didn't much follow the order in the book. The answer came at the end of the movie with a screen shot that stated, "BASED IN PART ON THE NOVEL BY MICHAEL PUNKE."
I can summarize what the book and the movie had in common thus: This is the story of Hugh Glass, a mountain man who gets mauled by a bear and then is left for dead by two men of his party who were supposed to stay with him until he died and then bury him. He didn't die and went after them. He caught up with his party, forgave one of the men, chased down the other one, but ended up not killing him.
The plot of the book is much more complex and ambiguous than the movie. The scenery in movie is beautiful and even breath-taking, and the acting is good. Leonardo DiCaprio has a good shot at the Best Actor Oscar, but I thought the best acting job was put in by Tom Hardy, who played John Fitzgerald, the bad guy. Hardy has received a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination.
I am glad I both listened to the book and saw the movie.
Day 12 mileage: 380
Cumulative mileage: 3,865
