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 ichael Mann's "The Last of the Mohicans" is a
better Romance and Adventure film than it is a period War Movie, which it seems
to be at first glance. Based on a novel by James Fenimore Cooper, the movie
tells the epic tale of Hawkeye (Daniel Day-Lewis), a white man raised by a clan
of Native Americans called the Mohicans. But the Mohicans hasn't had the best
time of it, and as result there's only 3 of them left: Hawkeye, his adopted
father Chingachgook (Russell Means), and his adopted brother Uncas (Eric
Schweig).
The film is set in the untamed American frontier during the
British-French Wars of early 18th century, with both sides fighting
for control of the newly discovered American continent. Native Indians and
colonists have been forced to pick sides, but Hawkeye and others have refused to
join in, believing that the war has nothing to do with them. Things change when
Hawkeye crosses path with English aristocrat Cora Munro (Madeleine Stowe) and
her sister Alice (Jodhi May), as the women are being escorted by the rigid Major
Duncan Heyward (Steven Waddington) to their father at the front lines.
After saving the women and Heyward from a bloody ambush
engineered by the vengeful Magua (Wes Studi), Hawkeye reluctantly agrees to
escort them to an English fort currently besieged by French forces. Once at the
fort, Hawkeye's reluctance to join the war proves correct, as the British
doesn't seem particularly concern about the well being of the colonists fighting
for them.
Despite its many good points and director Michael Mann's
grand painting of the untouched cinematic American frontier,
"Mohicans" is still a better Romance-Adventure picture than it is an
action or even a War movie. Which isn't to say the movie is devoid of combat,
because it isn't. There are numerous scenes of military engagement, mostly at
the aforementioned siege of the English fort. Cannon fire and exploding muskets
light up the nighttime scenes, making the film an experience to watch.
The cinematography by Dante Spinotti ("Red
Dragon") is extraordinary, and the film's many scenes in the ancient
woods of Colonial America are ripe with beauty and majesty. The acting is also
superb, which is a very good thing because the screenplay by Mann and
Christopher Crowe is sometimes too clunky for its own good, with a lot of
romantic language that's better left to, well, romance novels. Which isn't to
say I don't think people really talk like this back then, but it just sounds
very awkward to my contemporary ears.
Thankfully the movie has a fine cast that manages to sell
even the clunky dialogue. Daniel Day-Lewis ("Gangs
of New York") turns in a solid performance as Hawkeye, a man caught
between two worlds. Madeleine Stowe ("We
Were Soldiers"), who has been under appreciated throughout her career,
convinces us of the blossoming romance between her Cora and Hawkeye. The fact
is, the screenplay handles their scenes so unnaturally that it takes actors of
their caliber to sell it. In lesser hands, their romance would never work, and
may very well have come across as completely ridiculous.
For the most part the direction by Michael Mann ("Ali")
is superb, although he seems to have some trouble with the movie's more brutal
battle scenes. On more than one occasion the film has a choppy feel, as if whole
chunks of frames were removed. And despite being R-Rated, the film is
surprisingly bloodless. While a terrific Romance and Adventure film,
"Mohicans" it's a minor War movie, and I wouldn't even call it a minor
"The
Patriot", the bloody Revolutionary War movie with Mel Gibson.
Another aspect of "Mohicans" that works is the
naturalistic soundtrack. There is a constant string instrument complimented by a
beating drum that plays throughout much of the exciting forest scenes, including
the movie's final, climactic running battle between the Mohicans and a small
band of marauders led by Wes Studi. The film is most exciting in small bursts,
when Mann doesn't allow us to linger on what's wrong or missing, but keeps
giving us what's right, which is the burgeoning love story between Cora and
Hawkeye.
An underrated and forgotten gem, "The Last of the
Mohicans" deserve a better fate. It is epic, great to look at, and
Madeleine Stowe is almost as gorgeous as the scenery. What more could you ask
for?
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