The Last Of The Mohicans

The Last of the Mohicans (1992)

Runtime: I saw the version that is 117 minutes long; more on that below

Directed by: Michael Mann

Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Madeleine Stowe, Wes Studi, Russell Means, Jodhi May

From: 20th Century Fox

This is another movie with an interesting personal story behind it: 

NOTE: As there are several versions of this out there (naturally, as it's a Michael Mann joint) I have to clarify which cut I saw last night. It was the DVD release known as the Director's Expanded Edition as it was what was available to me... I borrowed that DVD from someone I know.

In the past I have mentioned some R-rated movies I saw on the big screen as I was a child then reaching adulthood. There weren't too many (although it is not like I was too restricted to what I saw on home video at the house) but the ones that I went to with at least one parent included the likes of The Relic-as I had read the book beforehand-and Die Hard with a Vengeance. I made the “wise” decision of making my first R-rated film I saw on my own once I turned 17... the Psycho remake. I guess I can laugh about it now. But the first movie with that movie I saw theatrically was this one. I do not know the machinations of how me and my sisters went along with my parents to see The Last of the Mohicans... my dad's a history buff so it was a natural he wanted to check it out yet I am not sure why we went too. I am not complaining, as at the time I enjoyed the movie and I still feel the same way now.

Admittedly the story is not the most complex, but it is based on a cheeseball novel from almost 200 years ago so I am not too surprised by that aspect, or the hero being a white dude who was raised by Native Americans for pretty much all of his life. Even then, I can say it is a very entertaining yarn, which has action, drama, romance, intrigue, etc. Hawkeye (I can understand why the character name from the novel was not used, as NATTY BUMPPO is a name that inspires guffaws in these modern times) is our hero, and a romance develops between him and Cora, a daughter of a British Colonel; the setting is the French & Indian War of the 1750's and 1760's in what is now the Northeastern part of the United States.

A big help for this movie is the people involved. Both Michael Mann and Daniel Day-Lewis... talk about huge assets. The cast as a whole is pretty good but the most unforgettable character is Wes Studi's Magua. The character is quite the villain; there is backstory why he does some heinous things, yet is still pretty evil as heinous things are done by him. Mix in a bold score and lovely rural scenery (actually filmed in North Carolina) & it was nice watching this rousing adventure picture again after all these years.