The Last of the Mohicans

Rating:
Summary: What Action/Adventure Is Supposed To Be
Review: I've lost count of how many times I've seen this exceptional film, and the number of future viewings will no doubt be countless. Michael Mann's THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS grips the viewer from the first frame to the last, with stunning cinematography, a haunting musical score, sensational acting, and a powerful story of conflict, romance, and a father's unspoken love for his two sons--one a Mohican, one white.

THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS takes us to the colonial French & Indian Wars of the mid-18th Century in America. England and France were battling for domination of the continent, aided by fleeting alliances with various Indian tribes: the Huron, the Mohawk, the Sac & Fox...the Mohican. Three men striving to avoid this conflict are unwillingly drawn into it: Chingachgook (Russell Means), a proud Mohican warrior, and his two sons, Uncus (Eric Schweig), and adopted son, Hawkeye (Daniel Day-Lewis). Hawkeye's character is especially compelling: born into the white culture, raised as an Indian, he is a transcendental bridge to both worlds. The story picks up the journey of the three characters as they save a British officer and two daughters of a British colonel from a Huron ambush and accompany them to Fort William Henry; an intense romance between Hawkeye and Cora Monroe (Madeline Stowe) ensues. The fort ultimately falls from a relentless assault of French cannon, the British leave, a bloody battle ensues. Hawkeye and Cora are forced to separate: he flees with his father and brother, she stays with her sister, to be captured by the Huron. The film builds to a heart-pounding climax over a series of magnificent scenes that depict love, sacrifice, tragedy, and a father's revenge--all against the backdrop of music that tingles the spine.

Additional kudos go to Wes Studi, who plays the troubled Huron warrior Magua, whose twisted vision of justice adds yet another remarkable dimension to the story. THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS has it all: action, drama, tragedy, conflict, remorse, love. Very highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Breathtaking!
Review: The Last of the Mohicans is one heck of a movie. It has a little something for everyone. I'm not a guy, but I suspect that guys like action- it has tons of that. It has romance for us girls. And a certain raw emotion that everyone can appreciate. The movie's plot follows the adventures and romance that occur when Hawkeye (Daniel Day-Lewis), and his adoptive Indian family Chingachagook (Russel Means) and Uncas (Eric Schweig)escort two British sisters, Cora (Madeleine Stowe) and Alice (Jodhi May) to safety during the French and Indian War. Also among the mix of characters is a vengeful Huron warrior named Magua (Wes Studi) intent on killing Cora and Alice. The two characters that are developed the most are Cora and Hawkeye. They fall in love. Through Stowe and Day-Lewis's acting, I got a strong sense of the devotion and attachment that Hawkeye and Cora have for one other. They light up the screen in every scene they're in together. This might be a shallow thing to say, but I honestly don't think the movie would have worked without attractive people. Nearly everyone in the movie is good-looking. Even Magua has a certain evil handsomeness that might be overlooked. If Hawkeye had been acted by Steve Buscemi and Cora by Kathy Griffin, this movie would have lost all of its appeal. Other than looking good, the actors do a very nice job. Day-Lewis is superb. The way he speaks fluent Indian language with Uncas and Chingachagook might seem pretentious on another actor, but he makes it more of a way of life than a showy "look at how long i spent practicing speaking in indian for this role." The ending is very emotional. I am not ashamed to admit that in the six times I have seen the end, I have cried five times. Jodhi May does such a good job as Alice. Why isn't she in more movies? Every character has a little bit more to them than meets the eye. There are no 2-Dimensional characters. However, there are flaws in the movie. For instance, I found it a little bit odd the way that Hawkeye had no trouble killing Huron Indians that he had just said, "I come in peace" to. And Uncas isn't as developed as he should be, but maybe that's why the affection he has for Alice is so touching- because it's so subtle. The movie is still VERY entertaining and VERY well-done, and can be watched repeatedly without getting sick of it.

Rating:
Summary: Thank God Cooper is dead, this film would ahve killed him!
Review: Due to my background in the Arts I do appreciate and understand that the movie simply cannot be the book on film (with the possible exception of some of EM Forester's works). I am more than willing to cut film adaptions of novels some slack for the changes they often have to make due to time and focus limitations (such as with Midnight in the Garden of Good & Evil)rather than just toss off the oft uttered phrase "the book was better." In many cases (like Silence of the Lambs) the book and film both succeed. None of this, however, can be said of Last of the Mohicans, which is unquestionably a mangled adaption of a far a better adventure novel. In fact, it's more accuate to say that the movie happens to have the some of the same characters as the book. Beyond a couple scenes and the title, the film has nothing to Cooper's outstand novel. Calling it an adaption is as misleading as the liberal strokes apparently permitted by the credit statement "based upon the book by..." If you want to the Last of the Mohicns...you won't find it here. This is one case where the book was definately better!

Rating:
Summary: A beautiful, grand scale epic
Review: This is a magnificent action drama that is crowned by a superb soundtrack, a beautiful setting and excellent photography. The casting is outstanding and the acting is consistently top notch as well.

The reviewer from Knoxville nicely summarized the plot and I will not repeat it except to provide a bit more background. The central theme in this movie is the classic struggle between the courage and honor of the protagonist Hawkeye, played by Lewis, and the evil vengeance-seeking antagonist Magua, played by Wes Studi. The motivation behind Magua's obsession with revenge against the two Munro girls and their father may not be clear on the first viewing, but it stems from a previous military campaign in the French and Indian War in which British Colonel Munro attacked a Huron village, killing Magua's wife and children in the process. Magua then swears revenge on "Gray Hair" Munro and "his seed." Magua joins the British army as a native scout, disguising his identity as a Huron war leader, as part of a plan to murder Munro's two daughters.

The various subplots of this movie are excellently developed. The main subplot, involving Major Duncan (played by Steven Waddington) shows the remarkable growth of a cowardly, dishonest English aristocrat/officer seeking the hand of Cora Munro (played by Madeline Stowe) into a man who discovers honor by sacrificing himself to the Hurons in order to set free the woman he loves into the arms of another man. The romances between the two Munro sisters and Hawkeye and his adopted brother Uncas (played by Eric Schweig) are sparsely portrayed, as others have suggested, but I think this treatment of romance in the midst of a brutal war and personal tragedy is far more realistic than if these relationships were fully expanded. These actors convey far more emotion and tension in their exchange of questioning, smouldering glances than by swapping unnecessary dialogue.

There is a deep emotional impact in virtually all parts of this movie. The background is primarily dark and dreary until the closing scenes involving the chase of Magua's band through the beautiful mountainous cliffs. The director, Michael Mann, distinctly portrays the dirt and squalor of war in the scenes at the fort, as well as the horrors of combat in the Huron ambush of the British Army after their release by the chivalrous French commander. Similarly, the earlier scene on the way to the fort, passing the burned out cabin and mutilated bodies of settlers, is quite poignant. Cora Munroe demands that they provide a Christian burial for the settlers, but Hawkeye forbids this action, snapping tersely, "These were not strangers. They were friends. And we leave them as they lie." It is at this point that Cora truly begins to understand the harsh practicalities of frontier life.

The hand-to-hand combat scenes in this movie are exceptionally well-choreographed and appear as realistic as any such scenes from any movie. At first the idea of Hawkeye, accompanied solely by his father Chingachgook (Russell Means) and Uncas, attacking Huron war bands at least four or five times their size seems a bit far- fetched, but the hard, stoic and courageous expressions on the faces of Lewis, Means and Scheig leave little doubt but that they will overcome their adversaries.

Wes Studi does a simply outstanding job playing the evil Magua, seething with anger and venom as few movie antagonists have ever done before. On a superficial level, Magua seems purely one dimensional, existing only for revenge. However, he is actually subtly multi-dimensional; are not his motivations to seek revenge against Munro for the deaths of his family quite similar to Chingachgook's motivations in the final scene as he avenges the death of his son Uncas by killing Magua?

The final scene of this film is hauntingly beautiful, as Chingachgook and Hawkeye perform a Mohican eulogy for the departed Uncas. I can count on one hand the number of films that brought tears to my eyes, and this was one of them.

This film has been compared to other, more recent large scale epics, such as Braveheart and Gladiator, but the comparison is not entirely apt. The former two films are indeed very good, but are merely pieces of entertainment. In contrast, Last of the Mohicans is a stunningly entertaining work of art.

Rating:
Summary: Enchanting!
Review: I just recently viewed the movie for the first time during my U.S History class. Since then I have watched the movie five times in as many days. The movie is historically accurate for the most part when dealing with the war itself. The scenery was breathtakingly beautiful and the music chosen was neutral for the time period and accented the major events of the movie. The ability of the movie to convey the wordless love between Uncas(Eric Schweig) and Alice(Jodhi May) was absolutely amazing. The cast was well chosen, even if Madeleine Stowe(Cora Munro) had an on-again-off-again accent. Wes Studi(Magua) played the avenging Huron to perfection creating understanding of his wishes to kill Munro, but yet a frightful savage. As for Daniel Day-Lewis(Hawkeye) I don't feel I can say anything that hasn't been said before. The scene I found the most emotional was during the fight between Magua and Uncas, and then when Alice is making her decision. Great acting, historical accuracy, a wonderful soundtrack and breathtaking scenery made this movie overly enjoyable and emotional. I recommend it to most people, however those who have no desire to try and understand the history behind the movie or the subtle pieces that are expected to be picked up on probably shouldn't watch this movie. Also if you expect an exact replica of the book you won't find it in this movie. END

Rating:
Summary: SICKENING!
Review: Hollywood's cocaine-sniffing hacks have NEVER been able to do anything with classic literature other than butcher it so that their "movie" version ends up as a cheap, political/sociological statement stemming from their own feverish brains. This movie is yet another example of this sort of mutilation of the classics. If anyone in this semi literate society has bothered to read James Fenimore Cooper's epic "Leather Stocking Tales" ( of which THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS was one of five books ) then he or she will understand exactly what my point here is. In this movie, the characters are poorly portrayed and interact with one another in a totally contrary manner to their roles in the Cooper's story. Much of the costuming is wrong (one would think that the hacks would have at least shown the Mohican and Delaware Indians in the appearance they had in the 1600's!) and, equally of course, there is the climax - the ending - which is so distorted, so disgusting when compared to the end of Cooper's story that it in itself makes the movie worthless.
Forget this rubbish. Its another blatant example of what the creeps and kooks in Hollywood routinely do to subvert and distort the maginificent quality of some of America's best classic literature. Instead of parking yourself in front of the TV set, get the illustrated, hardcover version of this thrilling historic tale and let your imagination be opened by the gripping story to the wonders and dangers of the early frontier along the Hudson river as Cooper himself meant it to be. In closing, this trash doesn't even deserve ONE STAR, but unfortunately, you cannot get a lower rating on amazon.

Rating:
Summary: A Brilliant Throwback!
Review: Michael Mann's "The Last of the Mohicans" is a throwback movie. In fact, its a remake. Its plot, character development, and dialogue are taken more from the 1936 movie version of LOTM than from James Fennimore Cooper's novel. The 1936 movie took the setting, main characters, and basic plot from the novel, but then reworked everything to make a more dramatic, romantic, and adventurous story which could told on film in less than two hours. Essentially, Mann's LOTM is a modern retelling of the 1936 version with fanastic cinematography, a memorable score, beautiful locations, and thrilling, terrifically choreographed battle sequences. However, it retains the classic feel of a 1930's adventure movie. (There is no foul language, nudity, or sex scenes.)

It's the summer of 1757, the third year of the French and Indian War, and the three surviving members of the Mohicans, Chingachgook (Russell Means) and his two sons, Uncus, his blood son (Eric Schweig) and Hawkeye, his adopted English son (Daniel Day-Lewis), continue to live the traditional Mohican life of hunting and trapping on the New York frontier. Seeing the on-going war as a struggle between greedy European powers, the Mohicans refuse to join in the fighting. Meanwhile, young British Major Duncan Heywood (Steven Waddington) has arrived in Albany to meet with Cora Munro (Madeliene Stowe), to whom he has made a marriage proposal, and her fragile, younger sister, Alice (Jodhi Maye). Heywood is to accompany the sisters to Fort William Henry where they are to rendevous with their father, the fort's commander, Col. Munro (Maurice Roeves). On the way to the fort, Heywood and the Munros find themselves betrayed by Magua (Wes Studi), who they had thought was a pro-British Mohawk, but instead is a pro-French Huron. However, Magua's betrayal has nothing to do with his political allegiances, but with his vow of blood vengeance against Col. Munro and all "his seed." Just when it looks like Magua is about to exact his revenge upon Munro's children, fate intervenes as the Mohicans cast aside their neutrality to come to the aid of the women. The rest of the movie deals with how the above characters' lives are effected by war, romance (mostly the irresistable attraction between Cora and Hawkeye), jealousy, duty, and vengeance.

Mann's LOTM is a romance, and not just in the fact that one smoldering glance between Hawkeye and Cora generates more heat than all movies which reduce passion to nude couples grappling with each other in fake ecatasy. Romance in LOTM is also of an image of time and place. In Mann's 18th century frontier men always remained clean shaven, long hair was washed, combed, and conditioned, everyone had a dental plan, no mosquitos, no grease, no smudged warpaint, and everyone was good looking. LOTM is quite simply a picture of a world that never existed. But it's also a picture of a world which we wish existed and that is one of the big reasons this movie is such a triumph.

LOTM has its faults. It sometimes requires a healthy dose of a suspension of disbelief to watch our heroes reload those muzzle loaders in seconds while at a full run. Also, in one scene our heroes must flee because they can't fight with wet powder, but later they seem to have magically found a powder supply in the middle of the woods. (Not to mention they keep finding canoes at the most convenient times and the entire "about to go over the waterfall scene.") The romantic subplot between Uncus and Alice is woefully underdeveloped, which is a huge shame because that relationship results in the heartbreaking climax of the movie. Also, underdeveloped are the characters of Chingachgook and Uncus and the entire "last of the Mohican" storyline. Finally, there are some PC elements here: Hawkeye's white family were killed not by Indians but by French trappers, French Gen. Montcalm is shown actually encouraging the Fort William Henry massacre, and the entire dialogue in the Huron village has nothing to do with the reality of relations between the Europeans and AmerIndians in the mid-18th century. However, PC is to be expected in any movie made about AmerIndians and thankfully LOTM does not carry it to a goofy extreme.

Disbelief and quibbles of PC aside, LOTM is a terrific movie. A thrilling movie in the mold of a 1930's classic adventure film redone for modern audiences. It's exciting, romantic, and just darn good!

Rating:
Summary: Read it- Don't watch it
Review: As a Leatherstocking fan I was bitterly disappointed by this film. The characters were so opposite of what they were supposed to be that it was absolutely unwatchable. Hawkeye is a classic, (ugly!) character with a very odd, but laudable view of the world in the book. His best friend is Chingachgook. In the movie he is a tough, handsome womanizer who is Chingachgook's adopted SON! These are paltry few of the rotten things about this Hollywood horror. If you want to hear about Hawkeye and the rest, read it the way it was meant to be told!!!!!!!

Rating:
Summary: Much neglected period of history needs better treatment
Review: Sure, the movie is fine for what it is. But what is it? An updated screen treatment of an inadequate 1936 screen treatment of a sterile and verbose early American novel. Cooper was not a great writer. But he was the first to voice a theme that Mark Twain finally successfully realized in Huck Finn. That American culture--flaws and virtues--springs from its contact with the frontier.

It's a shame that the writers didn't return to the original source material to find the urealized potentialities of Cooper's work. Maybe someone will succeed one day in doing what film adaptations of earlier unsuccessful films and books should do: remain respectful of the author's intentions, but find the core of meaning that the earlier artists missed. No one has succeeded so far.

I give this film two stars for the actors' performances, and for the film's technical merits.

Rating:
Summary: Why oh WHY ???
Review: One of the other reviewers said much of my feelings also 'the film was edited perfect in the first release'.
But to add...
Why in the world did the soundtrack get so totally ruined ???
About half the volume, it was perfect before, nice and BOLD; like the story.
And the most disappointing thing...
The song "I will find you" by Clannad was gone !!! completely GONE...
This was one the best plot change over scenes of any movie I can think of.
And many added cuts that didn't fit; thus the reason they were CUT !!!
I will now officially DESTROY this copy I have bought as to not let it contaminate my DVD collection.
In short... "Stay with the first release of this movie" !!!