Plot: What’s it about?
In a time when the American countryside was pristine and beautiful, a war ravaged through the lands and left behind a shattered realm. The lands hold forces from Britain and France who are in battle, as well as the Native Americans who dwelt there before either of these outside teams. The Native Americans might be in the middle of the all the conflicts, but they often provide aid to the others, but not always the same side. As the wars plague the countryside and leave behind a land strewn with damage, an unlikely romance begins to take root. Hawkeye (Daniel Day-Lewis) is a master of the frontier and an adopted member of the Mohicans, who meets and falls in love with a beautiful woman, Cora Munro (Madeleine Stowe). This might sound romantic and all, but since Cora is the refined daughter of a British Colonel. So as the battle rages on all fronts around him, Hawkeye tries to survive the onslaught, prevent his culture from being decimated, and pursue his love for Cora, even if all the odds stand against him.
This film was released on DVD some time back, but the disc was non anamorphic and lacked supplements of any kind. This disc solves the anamorphic issue and adds a new DTS track, but at director Michael Mann’s request, no bonus materials have been included. I would love to hear a commentary track or view the film’s trailer, but Mann is the final word and since he made the call, I can’t complain too much in end. Just like the previous disc, this release contains Mann’s expanded version of the film, which equates to a definitive director’s cut. But where most director’s cuts simply add material, this one adds new scenes and also removes old ones, which leaves us in a strange place. Now, I am always in favor of a director’s vision being fulfilled, but when this type of removal is involved, I think the choice between cuts is in order. We’ve watched this film for some time now and some prefer the original version, but that edition is unavailable on our beloved format. But, I suppose this is the cut Mann wants, so no real hard feelings in the end, though the theatrical cut would make a nice release down the road. This is still a wonderful film overall and thanks to the new audio/video shine, this disc is well worth another purchase of the title, in my opinion.
Although his resume is a brief one, Michael Mann has helmed some fantastic films in his career, with this being one of them. But then again, within his little more than a handful of films, it is hard to find a weak link, as they’re all excellent examples of cinema. Here Mann shows once again why his track record is so solid, providing a gorgeous backdrop, touching storyline, terrific performances, and above all, an entertaining movie. Amid the tapestry of characters and storyline here are some very well done action pieces, which add a lot to the flow and pace of the film. Mann has shown he can direct action and never is that more apparent than here, as he guides some excellent and tense sequences. If you want to see more from Mann, I recommend The Insider, Manhunter, Heat, and The Keep. The cast here is brilliant and includes Madeleine Stowe (Twelve Monkeys, Blink), Pete Postletwaite (The Usual Suspects, Jurassic Park: The Lost World), Russell Means (Natural Born Killers, Pocahontas), Wes Studi (Mystery Men, Street Fighter), and of course, Daniel Day-Lewis (The Boxer, In The Name Of The Father).
Video: How does it look?
“The Last of the Mohicans” has always looked pretty good on home video, be it VHS, LaserDisc, DVD and now Blu-ray. The sweeping 2.35:1 AVC HD transfer leaves little to the imagination and the visuals are among the sleekest I’ve seen on this movie. The movie makes use of nearly the entire color palette and though muted at times, tends to be on the darker side. Flesh tones seem very vibrant and natural. Contrast and black levels are also right on the mark. The bar was set pretty high by the preceding formats and this Blu-ray brings out the best of what the film has to offer visually.
Audio: How does it sound?
The film had a DTS soundtrack on the DVD version and that’s now been bumped up to a full-fledged DTS HD Master Audio mix. Sonically this movie has always sounded pretty darn good, the battle scenes always seem to find some use for the surrounds speakers and the dialogue is rich and robust. I’d forgotten how involved the LFE were, but make no mistake about it – they’re there. It’s hard to believe that this film is nearly twenty years old because judging by the soundtrack, it’s right up there with some of today’s films.
Supplements: What are the extras?
There’s been some concern in the past over the different cuts of the film and on paper (er, disc) this should put an end to all of that. This is the “Definitive Director’s Cut” of the film, so everything’s been added and nothing removed like in previous versions of the film. We do have the same commentary from director Michael Mann as was present on the DVD about a decade ago. What is unique is that there’s an all new featurette “The Making of ?The Last of the Mohicans'” with new interviews with Daniel Day-Lewis. Some trailers are also included which rounds out the supplements.
