Rating: 
Summary: THE Epic of The 90s (for which VHS/DVD combos were created!)
Review: I've never understood why most Americans overlook this film in favor of the more deliberately 'mind-blowing' violence of medieval epics such as Braveheart and The Two Towers, and I say that as a lover of medieval legends (not so much Braveheart, since Mel Gibson's film takes too many liberties with my ancestor Robert the Bruce)... In fact, when I first saw this film in the theaters in 1992, I said to myself, "this is American myth. This is how the great 'historical' legends should be filmed." And amazingly, given all the historical epics that have followed it, MOHICANS remains on top.
Closer to David Lean or Kurosawa than Mel Gibson or Peter Jackson. It's a pity, really, that this "high-romance" style of epic film-making didn't catch on again. Although there are glimmers of it in recent films such as /Pirates of the Caribbean/ and in the first /Rings/ flick. I guess those who weren't turned off by the frank depiction of violence were disappointed by Michael Mann's tasteful depiction of it... and his focus on drama, romance and tragedy. It's a, well, tragedy that it has been overlooked by the descendants of the settlers and frontiersmen that are eulogized in this great film. Another tragedy is that like many releases, DVD has proven to be a double-edged sword for the art of editing classic films. The superior theatrical VHS version of "Last of the Mohicans" which some of you know and love so well may soon itself become, well, as endangered as Chingachgook's people. To put it another way: "Great Spirit and the maker of all life:
An inferior DVD edition goes into the trash bin,
as swift and straight as an arrow shot into the sun. Let a true widescreen, theatrical cut of the movie take its
place alongside the classic, unedited VHS titles that still
remain on the convenience store shelf of my people.
For they are all gone now, but one:
The original version of Last of the Mohicans." * * * * * (A slightly expanded version of this speech is the only positive addition to the aptly yclept Director's CUT, on the DVD edition. And even that is questionable, since it's unclear what Russell Means is saying about Indians and settlers "dying out" and being replaced by others. After all, while Chingachgook's fictional band and countless real peoples were exterminated in the wake of 1757,
the real Mohicans survived and are doing just fine, thank you.) Buy the VHS version today. If you don't have a video player, rent the DVD edition, but do not buy it. It's just not as good. For a film this great and well-edited, there's a difference. Especially for lovers of the original soundtrack. Wait for the real version of this classic movie to come out, with extras. Or better yet: Get a VHS/DVD Combo video player... and buy the VHS Widescreen Theatrical Edition
before it goes the way of Hawk-eye and Uncas. * * * * * Interesting side-note: Does Mann have some "issues", or is he overly fond of the 1936 version of the tale? In the books, which are admittedly TURGID but worth reading, there's alot more of the "legendary" Robin Hood-style element (Hawk-eye's unnatural marksmanship with a flintlock, etc.) But there's ALSO a lot more going on with the interracial romance angle between Uncas and Alice (some of which Mann edited OUT of the DVD - another reason not to get it.) And Cora was actually Creole in the book, but not in the movie. And Russell Means' elaboration on the fictional demise of the Mohicans at the end of the "extended" DVD is not as fiery as you'd expect. When did blue-eyed, fair-skinned protagonists become "safer" than the original classic source material? Oh well... it would've been a different film.
Rating: 
Summary: Original Version = 5 stars / THIS Version = 3
Review: I was very disappointed that this version of the film has cut critical scenes from the original that were intended to help develop the romantic courtship between Hawkeye and Cora. If I had known that this was the case, I would have NEVER sold my VHS version to buy the DVD! Although it is good movie overall, I would choose the original version all day long over this one. If you have any desire to see this movie as it was originally shown, do yourself a favor and buy the VHS version.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointment
Review: This is a terrible DVD. If you want the movie, buy the VHS version instead. Want to know why? Just read the other DVD reviews below. I don't think I need to repeat what everyone else has said already. What a major disappointment. I'm still waiting for a REAL director's expanded edition of this great movie.
Rating: 
Summary: Not like the book, but pretty darn good
Review: Although Last of the Mohicans is an excellent movie, it cannot receive five stars in this review. When one adapts a movie from a novel there is responsibility to portray the same ideas and characters as the original novel. Almost all interesting issues from the original have been removed (Cora's mixed blood for example), and Daniel Day-Lewis' character is given everything interesting Uncas and Chingachook did, unfortunately reducing them to mere trophy friends.
However, even given its inadequacies with the story, the movie is still very good. It's exciting and touching with an ending that moves even the more stubborn viewers. Daniel Day-Lewis is given some of the world's cheesiest lines ("I will find you. No matter how long it takes, no matter how far, I will find you!"), but he delivers them with such conviction and sincerity that they are believable, and wonderful. A lesser actor delivering such lines would be laughable. He does a fantastic job. As the villain, Wes Studi also deserves accolades. He is methodical in his revenge and calm as he delivers it; it's obvious that he has thought this out for a long period of time, and is willing to wait as long as it takes. He is so intense that even having him stand in a corner is intimidating. Rarely are there villains in movies that viewers can connect with and understand, and yet still fear, but Wes Studi pulls it off.
All in all, the action is exciting, the villain is mean, and the hero is dashing. What else could one ask for?
Rating:
Summary: More reality, less flash
Review: This movie, IMHO, could have been drastically improved, if they had actually tried to find someone to advise the director on the reality of living and hunting in the woods. Chasing an Elk on foot? oh yeah, that happened all the time. Just whipping a flintlock off of your back and firing it in the rain? Oh yeah, that happened too. Why they ever invented the percussion cap rifle I will never know. In order for the audience to get into the charecters, they have to identify with them, and find their situation believable. That is where this movie missed its mark.
Otherwise, the cinematography is gorgeous, and the acting is done well.
Rating:
Summary: Last of the Mohicans
Review: Excellent! Great literature, turned in to a great picture.
Rating:
Summary: awesome!!!
Review: I don't know what some of you reviewers are complaining about. This is a great movie, even on DVD. the extra last bit at the end is fabulous. Having seen both versions (on vhs and dvd) I would recommend both to viewers.
Rating:
Summary: An Epic
Review: I bought this DVD when it initially came out in DTS and it is still the pride of my collection. The plot, acting, sound, and in particular the cinematography are all stunning. It is also significant in that it is one of the few movies available which lends an insight into pre-Revolutionary War American history (based on the Fenimore Cooper novel of the same name). The sense of growing indignance of the settlers who occupied the area east of the Appalachians over the attitude of their English masters (which shortly afterwards fermented into all-out rebellion) is portrayed adeptly by Mann, who scripted as well as directed the film. Wes Studi is powerful and menacing as Magua, and Jodhi May puts in an understated performance as Alice (who benefitted from having the most poignant scene in the movie). But it is Daniel Day-Lewis as the confident (if arrogant - but then since he always turns out to be right, he can be) Hawkeye who dominates -even the gorgeous scenery, which would have otherwise been a scene-stealer. Talk about a brilliant piece of casting. A terrific actor - and with his good looks and an open shirt pure sex appeal - Day has real screen presence. The only flaw as far as I am concerned is the casting of Madeleine Stowe in the role of Cora. Yes, she is beautiful, but she couldn't quite get to grips with an English (or Scottish, as the case may be) accent and simply wasn't at all convincing in the role. Perhaps the blame doesn't lie solely with the casting director or Stowe - the Cora character is not very well written, a prim snob one minute, an uninhibited wild woman the next. Oh, well, I guess even proper ladies eventually succumb to basic animal magnetism.
Rating: 
Summary: DON'T BUY IT UNLESS DESPERATE
Review: The Directors Expanded Edition is not an expanded edition. It lengthens a few scenes very slightly with nothing added but IT HAS CUT DIALOGUE AND MOMENTS IN OTHER SCENES. The musicial score is re-edited and the sound quality is uneven - the battle scenes are too loud and some of the dialogue scenes are too soft. The theatrical version is a much more enjoyable film and unfortunately that is only available on VHS.
Rating:
Summary: VHS version is better!
Review: The Last of the Mohicans has always been a favorite of mine. When it was time to update from video to DVD, I purchased it, threw it in the DVD player and was shocked to find one of my favorite films altered. Don't let the catch-phrase on the DVD cover fool you! It's not expanded. Yes, some scenes are edited differently and there's some extra dialouge just before the end credits, but Mann has removed some really great dialouge that, for me, makes this movie one of my favorites. This film hasn't been expanded, it's been altered. Why did Mann do this? The film was fine the way it was. If Mann was going to add footage to it, he should not had sacrificed original footage. A huge disapointment. I'll keep my VHS version and sell the DVD on e-bay.
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