The Last Of The Mohicans Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
The first American hero.
In 18th century North America during the French and Indian War, a white man adopted by the last members of a dying tribe called the Mohicans unwittingly becomes the protector of the two daughters of a British colonel, who have been targeted by Magua, a sadistic and vengeful Huron warrior who has dedicated his life to destroying the girls' father for a past injustice.
| Daniel Day-Lewis | Hawkeye |
| Madeleine Stowe | Cora Munro |
| Russell Means | Chingachgook |
| Eric Schweig | Uncas |
| Jodhi May | Alice Munro |
| Steven Waddington | Maj. Duncan Heyward |
| Wes Studi | Magua |
| Maurice Roëves | Col. Edmund Munro |
| Patrice Chéreau | Gen Montcalm |
| Edward Blatchford | Jack Winthrop |
| Terry Kinney | John Cameron |
| Tracey Ellis | Alexandra Cameron |
| Justin M. Rice | James Cameron |
| Dennis Banks | Ongewasgone |
| Pete Postlethwaite | Capt. Beams |
| Michael Mann |
7.70 out of 10 (23935 votes)
Visitor Reviews
cheated at the oscars
posted on 03 Aug 2009This movie won the Oscar for best sound. I have little respect for the Oscars. Best score ever, some of the best photography ever. Day-Lewis gives a powerful performance whose only fault is that he has done better. Copper's sprawling story comes to life with powerful action scenes and emotional close-ups. The final chase is stunning to watch. 10/10
Impressive, But Overlooked Masterpiece From 1992
posted on 28 Jul 2009"The Last of the Mohicans" is a very good film that was basically ignored by everyone in 1992. Based on James Fenimore Cooper's novel of the same name, the movie is impressive in every way imaginable. Daniel Day-Lewis and Madeleine Stowe are best in the ensemble cast. Michael Mann's direction has rarely been better. 4.5 out of 5 stars.
Adventure and romance during the formation of America.
posted on 19 Jul 2009This is truly one of the best films ever done, Certainly Michael Mann's best. This film only won the best sound Oscar but should have won more. If you breakdown the movie into the major categories it excels in all of them. The screenplay A work in progress since 1936 is superior. Cinematography-LOTM was not even nominated for an Oscar in this category. I think some of locations chosen for this movie give the movie its grand scope and gritty feel. Best Actor- Daniel Day Lewis has you believing he is an adopted native about 30 seconds into the movie. Editing- the editing of this movie is excellent, just like the characters we are given just enough time to rest before being whisked away to some other adrenaline pumping adventure. Music- Started by Trevor Jones finished by Randy Endleman, this soundtrack is what has me coming back for repeat viewings. Pay attention to the music during the opening sequence and by the end of the movie you will be buying the soundtrack.
Beautiful, entertaining, and wonderful
posted on 13 Jul 2009This has been one of my favorite movies for longer than I can remember. The film is beautifully shot, the relationship between Nathaniel and Cora is deep and beleivable. Wes Studi is great as the vengeful Magua, and should have been nominated for an Oscar for his performance. Also, this movie has one of the most fast paced, heartbreaking, and just plain great endings in movie history. If you haven't seen this, you should go out right now and get it. You won't be disappointed.
this is good.....this is very good
posted on 01 Jun 2009this movie ranks as in my opinion is one of the top 5 historical drama/epics ever made. This movie was filmed near the North Carolina/Tennessee border and I am from Tennessee and I remeber when the movie crews were filming this, because I wanted to go watch them film this movie, but the local authorities and the film producers had that area off limits to the public. I have never read the book "Last of the Mohicans" so if this movie differs from the book-I wouldn't know. I also remeber watcing an old Black and White version of this in my 8th grade class when I was a Kid growing up(seems like another lifetime ago now). ..Okay,I've strayed from the subject matter just a bit. However this 1992 version is splended in every way. I was completely taken by how beautiful the Appalatchain Mountian sceenery is in this film(because I live about 70 mile away from where this movie was filmed, I sometimes take it for granted that I live in the most beautiful part of the United State)This film captured the essence and beauty of this area(its suppossed to be upstate New York in the film). this movie has a powerful gripping story. Awesome costumes, A Superb music score, great Specail Effects. great battle scenes,good solid action scenes, and to top it off this film is well acted by a Great Cast. This movie has something in it for everyone. When the credits began to roll up the screen at the end of this film , I was saddened by the fact that it was over, I wanted this film to just keep going-I wanted more. I believe you are going to love this film. I give it 5 out of 5 stars - A perfect film.
Best Movie I've Seen
posted on 29 May 2009LATM is one of the few movies I can watch repeatedly. It is rich in color, story, theme and performances. Not once did the director or perfomers insult me. To quote Cora, "On the contrary....".My wife got me the movie for Christmas. Save her card, it's the best gift I got.
Too much Jane Austen not enough Apocolypto
posted on 23 May 2009When choosing my viewing choice and peering through the selection of DVDs i had assembled i instantly looked at "The Last of The Mohicans" because of Daniel Day-Lewis and Michael Mann, I read the synopsis and gathered it was an adventure film. I watched this film expecting an epic tale of adventure and found my self vomiting in my mouth for the sheer amount of putrid slush that ruins a film that could of been so much more. My father had briefly described the book and I was very intrigued but this film is awful. If you're looking for an adventure film, it's not what you want if you're looking for a BBC style Austen drama set in a war zone, who is?, it's exactly what you require. The dialog is poor the cast is average, not one of Day-Lewis' better films, in particular the female lead is irritating and the rest are distinctly average.
Maybe the greatest......
posted on 20 Apr 2009The Last of the Mohicans, maybe the greatest movie of all times. And definitely the best Michael Mann film. That says alot, when you think of other Michael Mann films like Heat and The Insider.. Also I would like to say thanks to the music, the best soundtrack for a movie ever, along with Braveheart. Keep up the good work
Historic romance, off the beaten track of the usual studio material
posted on 20 Apr 2009A wonderfully romantic film The Last of the Mohicans uses a remote situation in history and a clash of cultures not often juxtaposed to concentrate on human ideals; love, honour, sacrifice and other issues seem naturally of consequence under the circumstance. At the centre of the film is not a romantic liaison. Rather it is the character of Day-Lewis' Hawkeye, an adoptive Mohican, caught in the uncomfortable cleft of being a settler but brought up and loyal to the culture and code of the Mohawk. His is a performance that is not matched by any other actor, removing him from the A-list to the Olympian list (the likes of Brando etc.) and prompting one critic to reminisce during the touting of Gangs of New York, 'this was the movie that proved that he could do anything'.The supporting cast up the game to try to meet the pace. Madeleine Stowe is well cast as Cora, the principled love interest to Hawkeye but (for all my entirely subjective admiration) does not seem quite as convincing as either Jodhi May (as her naive younger sister) or Maurice Roeves (as her father) manage. All other parts from Wes Studi's brutal Magua right through to extras are attended on. Most impressive however are the rugged North East backdrops and both the large and small scale attention to detail that puts this to best use. A rich and grown-up romance of epic sensibility. 7/10
Why wasn't MOHICANS even Oscar-nominated for Best Musical Score?
posted on 14 Apr 2009This is a truly breath-taking historical-adventure movie, with strong direction and truly fine casting and performances. Madeline Stowe is particularly forceful and appealing as Cora, and Wes Studi is terrifying as the hate-filled Magua. The location shooting, the theme of the New World casting off Old World repressive institutions and beliefs, the action sequences--work with the elements to make this picture shine.But why wasn't this musical score even nominated for an Academy Award? Not only is it beautiful in its own right, but it is a perfect overlay for both the high adventure and high romance shown on the screen, and the movie would be severely diminished with an average score.
A good effort, but hampered by an added poor settler sub-plot
posted on 18 Mar 2009Last of the Mohican is a great novel. Its is surprisingly sensitive to the cultural divide between Christians and Natives. It sets up a mythology of the great American Frontiersman without casting dispersions on the British, French or Natives. The Hurons are shown to be ruthless, but Haweye expresses respect of their skill and their religion (I was quite surprised when he equated the great spirit with the Christian idea of God). The book is strongly biased in favor of the Mohicans who are presented as noble savages, but shows them to be quite ruthless as well (the French guard that was scalped by Uncas). What Cooper present us with a fascinating story about a clash of cultures -- who live and fight wars according to very different rule books.The movie captures some of the spirit of the book, but focuses more on the adventure than on the clash of cultural values. This movie reproduction follows the original story in many respects, but is flawed by an annoying story of poor American settlers and an anti-British sentiment. As in the Patriot, the British are shown as foolish snobs. As examples the scene where an entire group of British soldiers are surprised and massacred in the woods (duh didn't they use scouts and flanker while marching?). Their snobbish attitude towards the poor Yankee settlers. The resentment of the Americans towards the British regulars (even though it was the American settlers that were the main beneficiary of the war.) I'm really quite puzzled by the anti-British attitude given the strong military alliance between the US and the UK at the time when the movie was filmed (and continuing to the present).The poor settlers are no where in the book. Heyward was not a snob, (anyway hes from Connecticut, not England) he is a brave young man, inexperienced in the ways of wilderness war. He quickly comes to admire Haweye... Unca respects him enough to offer him a leadership role in the final battle, but he declines it. He is also shown to be skilled in the ways of European war, diplomacy and language, but modest. He also learns quickly and is soon shown in the book fighting with a tomahawk. In the book Cora is partly of black origin (through her mother), but that was missed by the movie... (another surprise in the book was how Black Cora is given much more of a role than Blond Alice). Oh and Uncas, not Hawkeye was in love with Cora -- how else could one explain his fanatical drive to rescue her (at her burial, the Indian maidens sing a song about them being united in death).Incidentally, another reviewer criticizes the accuracy of Hawkeye in the movie -- that part is in the book (the long carbine) and its pretty accurate... muzzle loading riffles were used, but were very slow to load which is why they were used by skirmishers, marksmen, and hunters. The range of those 18th century muzzle loading riffles was on a par with modern riffles. Smoothbore muskets were used more often in battle because they could be loaded 4 or more times faster (much better as stopping a calvary charge). In the book Cooper actually calls most of the fire arms riffles, but very few soldiers used riffles at the time.I enjoyed the movie, but marked it down for (1) thrusting in the poor settlers into the story for not apparent reason, (2) the anti-British sentiments, (3) the romance between Hawkeye and Cora. It would definitely not be a good idea to base an essay about the book on this movie. However, the movie is pretty entertaining.
Very good action & romance
posted on 04 Feb 2009This film made me think that, it seems that whatever Michael Mann copes with, it's definately worth seeing. This is a classic action & romance film, at its best. Action is embellished and sometimes even descended into nature, and romance is chased by stalkers of life and revenge. Landscapes rise above people and embrace them and love is as needful as survival, or more. Classic movie, imposing action, excellent music,very good acting and of course, the unmistakable mark of Michael Mann.
Words can't describe...
posted on 04 Feb 2009This movie is beyond wonderful. I truly can't sing it's praises enough.
Every aspect of it is amazing. I wish I could say the same for the book, which was such a disappointment. This is the only movie that I feel is better than the book, even if they take rather different paths. Everyone's performance is wonderful and the location is breathtaking. Even the soundtrack is fantastic. I never tire of watching this movie. If there is anyone who hasn't seen this movie, it has everything: plenty of action (with gory blood and guts), romance, and intelligence. No one should go without seeing this movie. I can guarentee that you will enjoy it.
:-)
Great Movie!
posted on 20 Jan 2009This movie is a great movie. I have heard all the rave reviews and I never got the chance to see the movie until recently. This film is probably one of the best from the early 90's. This film has some faults, but they are minor and insignificant.This film is based of the book by James Fenimore Cooper. The film takes place during the French and Indian War. The film focuses on the Mohican tribe or I should say what's left of them. The story is about Hawkeye and how he saved the British from attack and his romantic side with the British General's daughter, Cora.The acting is very good. Daniel-Day Lewis did an excellent job. I also liked Madeleine Stowe and Steven Waddington.The music is exceptional. Trevor Jones and Randy Edelman certainly did a great job. There are many good, memorable themes.The scenery is great. I imagine what the East would've looked like during this time period.Overall, this is a great movie. This movie is also underrated. I rate this film 9/10.
This guy really knows how to make movies
posted on 20 Jan 2009"Aw man, this is gonna be another 3 hour Dances with Wolves nightmare," I thought, being quite literally dragged into the cinema to see this film. I had oodles of candy and a bucket of popcorn bigger than my head, and was preparing to BURY myself in it as the curtains drew back, and i was suddenly drawn in for the next two hours. I barely touched my popcorn as Trevor Jones' score swept across those breathtaking mountains, spired trees, before immersing us in 1757 new America, and sweeping into a story that is at once a drama, a romance, a war film and an historical period action adventure. In short, Michael Mann's masterpiece. This guy really knows how to make movies. I can't fault this film, I think it's perfect. Viewed on a superficial level it's an exciting adventure story, set against a backdrop of cathedral forests and a savage war for possession of an entire continent. Go deeper and it's a masterpiece of storytelling, a finely crafted motion picture (editing, sound design, costuming, production design - technically, it's brilliant. Dante Spinotti (has worked with Mann on Heat, and probably others I am not certain and don't want to guess here) captures the frontier wilderness like something straight out of a painting, a period novel or an epic poem. It's magical, beautiful, yet so simple and professionally done. The whole 2 hours of the film are beautiful to watch. Daniel Day Lewis is great, although I must admit this is only one of two films I've ever watched him in, the other being In the Name of the Father. Madeleine Stowe is beautiful in an almost indescribable way, and although several of her lines seem strangely forced and awkward she is also great in this. All the supporting cast are great...like I said, can't fault this film in any way. It's on my top ten ultimate must see best ever movie list (which is no lighthearted matter - it's been 15 years in the making!) The film is also a great little snapshot of the times. While not all that historically accurate when you look into it, it does keep certain historical events in context and doesn't take HUGE liberties with the historical truth. It's a fairly accurate portrayal of the warfare and weapons of the time. Also dramatic is the conflict when viewed in the larger context that, in less than two decades the "settlers" as they are referred to in this film would kick the Brits out anyway and establish the United States so the fighting depicted in this film was even more a pointless waste of life.Director's Cut vs Theatrical releaseIn my opinion there is no reason to watch the theatrical version anymore. Fair enough, it was the version that blew me away at the cinema, but Michael Mann has extended and built upon crucial scenes to a point that elevates it from action/romance/adventure film to pure masterpiece. Trevor Jones' score is fantastic, moving, a perfect example of how to score a film.Interesting point of note I watched this film on the same night as Mel Gibson's Apocalypto. Now, while the two movies are totally different, the reason I compare them is they both begin with indigenous people engaged in a hunt. Now, seeing the two scenes back to back the better film is startlingly obvious - it's Mohicans. The hunt scene is dramatic, tense, and even moving, complemented by a beautiful introduction to the score. Apocalypto's opening hunt, by contrast, was a flat, uninteresting start to a film, with no music, and focusing on very graphic aspects of the dead Tapir, whereas Mann, in Mohicans, chose to focus more on the characters who shot the deer, not the wound inflicted on the animal itself. My friend, a 25 yo female, walked out on Apocalypto after 4 1/2 minutes of that hunt scene. By contrast, she stayed for all of Mohicans and describes it as one of the best films she's ever seen.
Fantastic very entertaining
posted on 09 Nov 2008The last of the mohicans was an excellent movie with an excellentstory, and great cast. The best indian movie I''ve seen yet, it willkeep you in your seat wanting to see more all throughout! DanielDay Lewis was outstanding one of the very very best lead actors ina movie. Far superior to Kevin Costners peformance in Danceswith Wolves, regardless of all the involvement he had in thatmovie. Madeiline Stowe was wonderful too, excellent for the part,and went as a love character for Hawkee perfectly. I'd recommendthis movie to anyone one that wants to see great acting andenergetic great fighting.
Beautiful Production of a Neglected Genre
posted on 09 Nov 2008I must admit that I'm always hungry for a frontier epic. I think the theme of confronting the American (or Russian, as in "Dersu Uzala") wilderness for the first time can never be overtold.And just how do I define a "frontier" movie? Any story of people in a land before its settlement. In the case of America, before 1860 or, better yet, before 1776."Northwest Passage," "The Black Robe," and now "Last of the Mohicans" . . .Wonderful production values here - spectacular scenery, authentic props, convincing warfare - and, contrary to the impression given by other reviewers, the romance element doesn't overwhelm the other plot elements. Nor does one come away from this film not knowing that the French and Indian wars were NOT between the French and the Indians. (How's that for a triple negative?)
perfectly under-rated
posted on 25 Oct 2008This is one of those movies that I watch once or twice a year, that thrills me with each viewing as if seeing it for the first time. There's nothing I can point to in this movie that isn't absolutely perfect. The score is sweeping. The cinematography is breathtaking. The action is fierce, bloody, and satisfying. The characters, both good and evil, are fully-developed and motivated. The romance is...well, romantic. Special praise goes to Russell Means and Eric Schweig, who convey the dignity and decency of their characters with only the slightest of dialogue. Kudos, too, to Daniel Day-Lewis and Madeleine Stowe. Their sizzling chemistry elevates this movie far above the typical western-adventure, boosting it into the cinematic stratosphere. If you haven't seen this movie yet, do yourself a favour and buy/rent the DVD. You won't be sorry.
No matter how far, I will find you!
posted on 01 Oct 2008There is so may things about this film that will blow you away. The first thing you will notice is how wonderfully this film is shot, every single scene could be a painting, its so brilliant. The set pieces and costumes are mind-blowing in every detail. Several scenes could be considered classics but none compares to the love scene at the Fort Henry between Cora and Hawkeye. They are 2 very intense actors that made me forget i was watching a movie and they made me believe in the magic.The waterfall scene is one of the finest scenes I have ever witnessed, Hawkeye is standing with Cora and haunting violins resonate as he tells Cora to stay alive, that no matter what those nasty Hurons do he will come back for her. A scene of Cora and Hawk locked together while the waterfall rages beyond them is so beautiful.For villains you just want to see get ripped to pieces, actor Wes Studi brings to life the war Chief Magua, not many villains can hold a candle to this guys psychosis, he literally cuts a guys heart out and its as casual to him as ordering Chinese food.For action genre fans, the final mountain-ledge showdown will bring a tear to your eye as Magua and his braves break out the tomahawks and have a chop-a-thon with Hawkeye and his guys.Every actor in this film is a joy to watch but pay close attention to Jodi May who plays Cora's sister Alice. Her subtle performance as the woman who cannot cope and would rather make the ultimate sacrifice then be a slave to Magua, it is the performance of the movie.Bottom line, this film might be the best film ever made, sad it does not get the recognition it should, Mann's best film by far.
A mixed bag
posted on 15 Aug 2009A historical epic, set during the French and Indian War, The Last of the Mohicans is a movie which has a lot going for it but it also has enough working against it to make the entire package less than satisfying. It's a movie with stunningly brilliant cinematography. Very few movies look as nice. There are some exceedingly well done battle scenes. There are some very good acting performances, most notably from Wes Studi as a truly memorable and menacing villain. Unfortunately there are many areas in which the film fails. Most importantly, the story fails to engage. Yes, there are the nice battle scenes but what happens in between those scenes does not measure up. The pace of the film is slow and plodding and all too often the story being presented simply isn't interesting. It's a movie about romance as much as it is about action. And the romance just doesn't work. The two lead performers, Daniel Day-Lewis and Madeleine Stowe, have little to no chemistry. And the fact that their characters, who come from very different backgrounds to say the least, fall in love seemingly at the drop of a hat strains credulity. As the movie progresses their "epic" romance really isn't very epic at all. The passion and drama in this relationship is sorely lacking. And with so much of the focus on this couple the film ends up being rather dull until another battle scene comes along to liven things up again.For a performer with as many notable credits as Day-Lewis, it must be said that his performance here is disappointing. Stiff, awkward, forced and unconvincing. And as it is his character of Hawkeye, adopted son of the last of the Mohicans of the film's title, who is very much the focus of the story the film never really has much of a chance to succeed. There are some nice pieces around Day-Lewis but his performance has to hold the movie together and he proves to be rather surprisingly not up to the task. If you can't buy into his character you can't buy into the movie. But even a truly brilliant performance would not have been able to hide all the flaws of the story. Much too often the film seems to be simply biding time, with nothing of any particular significance happening. The battle scenes may grab your attention but that's about it. As an action movie the film works. As a romantic drama it fails. And unfortunately the film is too much romance, too little action. It's a movie which leaves you much more impressed with the background scenery than with the story itself.