Rating: 
Summary: Great Movie but a very disappointing Special Ed DVD
Review: Let me make it clear that I consider "Last of the Mohicans" to be a great movie, one of the best date movies of all time (find a better combination of action and romance. Find one with better music for both action and romance. I have to believe I am preaching to the choir when it comes to the quality of this film.But in this review I am addressing the Special Edition DVD. As a DVD "Last of the Mohicans" loses one star because there is NOTHING extra on this disc. It loses a second star because what has been added takes away from the film, which, to tell the truth, I did not think was possible There are few films I have enjoyed more than "Last of the Mohicans," but it is currently the most disappointing DVD in my collection. The standard for special editions has been set by James Cameron, first with "The Abyss" (on Laser Disc originally) and then on "T2." Just look at your favorite DVD and think about the extras that make it so great: deleted scenes, features, commentary, etc. There is nothing on this disc. The one strength of this disc is that the screen ratio is back to the original, which is NOT TRUE about the Laser Disc or the Video Tape. For proof look at one scene, the one where the British leave the fort and get attacked on both sides by the Indians. When I saw the film in the theater it was this scene that made me think "They have to do this widescreen. Anything else destroys the film." I remember that Cora and her sister rode their horse over to a tree, got off, and hid behind it. On the VHS and the Laser Disc I could not see that. I thought I was crazy, but when the movie aired on TV the scan and pan caught the scene. On the DVD you can see everything. But the scenes that are added to the film do not add anything significant. They come across as padding rather than adding depth (again, "The Abyss" is the standard by which I judge such things). Worse, there are a couple of well remembered scenes for which the music and editing have been changed. It just is not the same and it was very disappointing. Even my kids picked up on this. If you loved this movie, by all means, rent the DVD and check it out. But it is not worth having. Hopefully they will go back in the future and juice up this DVD (the way they did with "Interview with the Vampire"). I would like to have a DVD edition worthy of this film.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Original Movie (and VHS); POOR DVD
Review: Re-release of a previous review so those who read nearby reviews NOTE the difference between VHS (excellent) and DVD (POOR): Waited in great anticipation for the DVD release of this one. The Last of the Mohicans is a great movie enhanced with terrific music. The VHS widescreen version in THX is a wonderful piece of entertainment. Unfortunately, this Director's Expanded Edition has destroyed the flow and continuity of the original. In Director Michael Mann's attempt to supply us with his "definitive vision of the film" via his own editing, he has ignored the professional editors and provided us with a substandard version of what was a fine film. Several of the added clips have no musical sound track at all and come across as painfully awkward - making the viewer fully aware he/she is watching actors in front of a camera rather than immersing us in the action. There is even a series of scenes in the original (and VHS) that has a vocal music piece overlaid that has been completely omitted from the DVD. All in all, I was very disappointed in the DVD after having distinctive and memorable images etched in my mind from the original theater and VHS releases.
Rating: 
Summary: A fine piece of action film-making
Review: Director Michael Mann, who brought us the masterful crime epic Heat and the acclaimed The Insider, originally rocketed to fame with the adaptation (I use the term loosely) of author James Fenimore Cooper's The Last of the Mohicans. The film is certainly much better than the near incomprehensible novel, filled with a certain raw edge and intensity surpassed by few rousing epics. The film takes place in the frontiers of America during the French and Indian War. As battles wage on, men like Hawkeye (Daniel Day-Lewis), an adopted son of the Mohicans, and his father (Russel Means) and brother (Eric Schweig) wish to only live peacefully. But they get caught up in an ambush with a Huron warrior named Magua (Wes Studi) intent on killing Cora and Alice Munro (Madeleine Stowe and Jodhi May), the two daughters of a British colonel. Foiling Magua's plans, Hawkeye, his father Chingachgook, and his brother Uncas escort the daughters and Major Duncan (Steven Waddington) to Fort William-Henry, a British compound under constant attack from the French. All their lives become involved in the war and they must fight to survive against hostile enemies. The Last of the Mohicans works as a gripping action film and historical drama. As a character driven piece and romance picture, it falters. The latter is more of a problem, as Daniel Day-Lewis and Madeleine Stowe generate very little genuine chemistry. Their romance felt superficial. Believe it or not, the very subtle development between Schweig and Jodhi May is more convincing and even quite touching. Character development is strong with certain characters. Day-Lewis delivers a fine performance, as do Eric Schweig and Russel Means. The real standouts are Steven Waddington and Wes Studi. Waddington's character shows a lot of depth, particularly near the end of the film, and Studi is positively scary as the fierce and vengeful villain. The action sequences are the most exciting aspects of the film. There are 3 major combat scenes, and the last one is the film's best, featuring a pitched battle atop a mountain. The film's biggest set piece is the large and full-scale battle between the British soldiers and the Huron Indians. Along with the fantastic musical score from Trevor Jones and Randy Edelman, Mann's direction is nearly flawless. Despite a script that isn't always perfect (there's some very questionable dialogue), Mann keeps the film rolling along at a good pace, and the viewer pays little to attention to the film's flaws. Even though the film runs at a relatively short 114 minutes Mann's atmosphere gives the film a true epic feeling. Credit this to the filmmaking ability of a skilled director.
Rating: 
Summary: Spectacular reinvention of a fading genre
Review: This jaw-dropping masterpiece should convince any remaining doubters of Michael Mann's greatness as one of the few truly original mainstream directors in American cinema. In breathing stunning new creative life into fading TV and movie genres(Miami Vice, The Jericho Mile, Manhunter)Mann had already by the time of Mohican's release staked a strong claim to serious respectability. Despite the claims of sour critics accusing him of prizing style over substance, as early as 1990, those of us with serious movie collections were already beginning to realise the need for Michael Mann movies in our collections. With Last of the Mohicans, Mann took an increasingly reactionary, moribund genre - the historical adventure - and single-handedly reinvented it for the 90s to spectacular effect. A better movie about early American colonial life and the period building up to the War of Independence has not been made. Given its old-fashioned movie and literary lineage, it would have been tempting before its release to say that Mann, Day-Lewis, Stowe etcetra were bringing more to the project than the material or fading genre deserved. But the combination of one of the world's most visionary and visually astounding directors, the world's greatest living actor (see In the Name of the Father if you doubt that claim), a stellar support cast and some great screenwriting delivers a truly original film, effectively integrating old fashioned action and plot with knowing 90's sensibilities. Let me be clear here: there is no other mainstream early 90s Hollywood product like it for sheer authenticity of setting, story, excitement and emotion. Mann has produced the template by which to resuscitate the favorite genres of our youth. Mann's strength as an auteur has always been the sincerity of his vision and the honesty of his characters - and it all comes together most effectively in this kinetic retelling of James Fenimore Cooper's classic story. One of the easiest ways of fully appreciating Mohicans is to precede viewing it with a viewing of the embarrassingly overblown, historically moronic Dean Devlin Roland Emmerich abomination, The Patriot. In fact, it was precisely having to sit through The Patriot's turgid mess that prompted me - for sheer sake of sanity - to once again view Last of the Mohicans recently. I'm pleased to say Mohicans has - like a good wine - improved with age - 1hr45 mins worth of sustained excitement and real drama. Mann's portrayal of women and Native Americans, while not exactly groundbreaking, is nevertheless commendable inasfar as he ensures his progressive portrayals actually functionally drive - rather than slow down (Dances with Wolves anyone?) - the action. Integrating style and substance with equitable class, the movie cooks on all fronts. A number of movies find place in my collection as guilty pleasures. Last of the Mohicans is there because it's the real deal - an intelligent modern movie classic. Buy it - you will not be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: Director Michael Mann's Masterpiece - Best Film of the '90s.
Review: "Last of the Mohicans" is this reviewer's choice as the best film of the last decade. Director Michael Mann, known for such films as "Thief", "Manhunter" (from Thomas Harris' first 'Hannibal Lecter' book, "Red Dragon"), "Heat", and "The Insider", has crafted a masterpiece with "Mohicans". Filled with lush cinematography, epic story-telling, realistic and brutal depictions of war, and old-fashioned romance, this film has something for every film lover. "Last of the Mohicans" captures the plight of people unwillingly caught up in England and France's desperate struggle for the North American continent during the so-called French/Indian Wars of the 1750s. And Michael Mann is no fuddy-duddy; his version of this story pours out with a fluidity and intensity that James Fennimore Cooper's book simply doesn't emit. Daniel Day-Lewis stars as Hawkeye, a white man raised since infancy in the frontier forests by his Mohican father, Chingachgook (played brilliantly by Russell Means); together with his half-brother, Uncas (Eric Schweig), they seek merely to survive, along with their fellow frontiersman and tribes of upper New York state and Canada. Forced by circumstance as unwilling guides to the supercilious English Major Heyward (Stephen Waddington) and the daughters of Colonel Munro, the estimable Cora (Madeleine Stowe) and timid Alice (Johdi May), the three find themselves trapped in besieged Ft. William Henry. The tragic events that would follow the fort's capitulation are justly infamous, and would forever stain the memory of the otherwise revered French General Montcalm. Mann's brilliance is that he tells the story of nearly all participants with equal grace and clarity. For example, the film's chief nemesis, Magua (ideliby played by Wes Studi), has been called by one reviewer "filmdom's most malevolent bad guy since Frankenstein's monster", but Mann is careful to illustrate why Magua hates as fiercely as he does. Maurice Roeves and Patrice Chereau are excellent as the equally doomed Colonel Munro and General Montcalm. Even the obnoxious Heyward redeems himself with an act of selfless courage that is stunning. Mann's battle scenes are spectacular - shot in real time without any of the distracting stop-action director tricks or camera swirls recently seen in "Gladiator" or "The Patriot". They are for this very reason far more heart-wrenchingly brutal and intense than most modern directors have the courage to present. (The only recent films which compare are "Private Ryan" and Mel Gibson's "Braveheart".) And precisely because Mann has showed us such violent struggle, it matters(!) when Hawkeye implores Cora to "Stay alive, no matter what occurs! I will find you!" Lastly, "Last of the Mohicans" features one of the best extended scenes ever committed to film: a nearly wordless, ten minute chase and death struggle across the region's beautiful but terrifying cliffs. Magua may be one malevolent guy, but Russell Mean's Chingachgook is equally capable in the art of war and survival. Director Michael Mann's achievement rests on his rare ability to tell a compelling story, an eye for brilliant cinematography (which nearly by itself illustrates why these people fought as hard as they did), fully realized characterization, a romantic soul, and an excellent cast. Truly, Michael Mann's masterpiece!
Rating:
Summary: Last of the Mohicans Among Best Films of the Decade
Review: I have seen this film a number of times, and it continues to impress me with its superb casting, breathtaking cinematography, lovely and memorable musical score, and impeccable settings. Overall, this was one of the best films of its decade, and I consider it to be one of the best of the past 30 years. (I have even used this film to teach certain aspects of videography.) The battle scene in the valley and the siege scene give you the feeling of what it was like to be there almost as well as the beach scene in Saving Private Ryan let you feel that you were present at D-Day. The picture pulls you in and carries you along; the casting and acting are so good that you believe every character. other reviews point out the outstanding performances, but rarely do you see such uniformly excellent performances from top to bottom throughout a movie cast. The movie captures the spirit of the book well. Michael Mann's outstanding direction gives the last half of the movie the feeling of a headlong sprint through the wilderness, leading to the final battle scene. This is a "must-see" for those who enjoy period movies.
Rating:
Summary: Buy this gem! You'll watch it several times
Review: This movie is one of the most compelling movies I seen, period. The soundtrack in incredible, sets the tone for the entire movie. The backdrops (of NC) are awesome. It's really a love story that men will enjoy due to the action and storyline. Very good acting -- not one cast member is miscast or out of place. I believe it is even better the second time viewed in order to take in all the visual and emotional drama of this Michael Mann film (a real genius!). This movie should be owned by people who love great action/drama movies, IMO.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent movie ruined on DVD
Review: I love this movie (five stars) having seen it in the theater and on VHS. The DVD version was one of the first I purchased for my new home theater. Unfortunately, the video quality is awful, very grainey like you see on DirecTV. It really distracts while watching the movie. I now have many other titles and do not see such a poor quality picture. If you watch on a small glass TV it shouldnt be a problem. There are also no extras that are often found on DVD like behind the scenes info, director comments. etc.
Rating:
Summary: Superb Acting
Review: Easily one of the best movies from Hollywood in the 1990's. Generally, they truely do not make them like they use to, but this movie is exceptional. I too could not take my eyes off of it. Absolutely spectacular scenery, the mountains, the waterfalls, etc. Brilliant acting by everyone in the picture. The only thing I was disapointed in was the removal of "I will find you" from the DVD.
Rating:
Summary: An alternate opinion...
Review: I am posting this review in response to the many negative reviews of the DVD version on this site. I held off purchasing this, one of my favorite movies, on DVD for a long time because of these reviews. Having finally purchased it, I find the complaints about the picture quality to be vastly overstated. I noticed several occasions were there was a small jitter in the picture, but overall the picture is definately superior to the VHS version. Also, the director's cut is nowhere near as bad as people have said... it is different but not really better or worse. Actually, I think the ending of the director's cut is superior. It would be nice to have both versions of the film on DVD (and to have the 'making-of' that is on the VHS on the DVD), but I am definately not disappointed that I purchased this DVD!
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