The Last of the Mohicans

⭐ 7.5/10

(Originally written by Joseph)

This is a 90s war epic about the mid 1700s when France and England were fighting over North America, along with the indigenous tribes that got dragged into the fighting. It's always a bit tough to judge these kinds of movies by modern standards. Not only does it perhaps lack modern sensitivity (Hawkeye, the half-Mohican antagonist, is played by Daniel Day Lewis), but also the action scenes look a bit dated. Still, I think it had a lot of admirable qualities.

I think as a period piece, this movie is really great. I'm always that sucker that watches the "historian rates movie accuracy" YouTube videos, and this one is often praised (it's also how I came across this movie). Again, the fighting feels a bit dated, but sometimes I think the lack of special effects makes it feel more authentic. Those are real explosions happening! The costumes are terrific, the political drama feels appropriate. There are also funny things that I feel like modern movies wouldn't have. In one scene, there are like 4 characters speaking 4 different languages, everyone translating for each other, and it gets so completely muddled for the audience. It was hard to follow, and I know the Netflix version would just have everyone speaking English but with accents, but i appreciate the effort! Yeah, these conversations would probably sound like that!

I think a topic today would be how the indigenous people are portrayed, because this is largely an Indigenous story. I'm sure this one went to great lengths to get things right, and I hope it was fair. There are definitely portrayals of some characters being barbarians, but there is also nuance in others, and I appreciate that it's not simplified like it would be today. It's a war, and there are atrocities coming from every direction.

This is getting long, so I'll just mention a few more points. DDL is incredibly compelling and sexy in an understated role. I'm not sure if that's because he's an amazing actor, or because I have a thing for quiet, capable heroes. Plus his friends are great. Also, the music in this is amazing. One of its best features. Last, the arc for one of the villains is very interesting and I was moved by the outcome.

Altogether, I have mixed feelings. This movie is kinda confusing, kinda weird, and kinda 90s. DDL is terrific as always though, and the more I write about this movie, the more I like it. Great for fans of historical war movies, but not an essential watch in my opinion.