Review of The Last of the Mohicans (1992) by Brandon S — 29 Jul 2015

A descent film that dresses itself up like a masterpiece. It feels like the harsh and realistic tale that it tries to be but it is clouded by romanticism. The performances are superior, but the progression feels so rushed.

For instance, the relationship between Nathaniel and Cora moved far to quickly, it developed at an unrealistic pace. While that may have very well been what Mann was going for it felt false to me. Much of the film's climax seems so abrupt, as if the screenwriters were just trying to find ways to kill off underdeveloped characters in a big way that rounds off the edges.

This felt like sloppy and lazy filmmaking. Now, Michael Mann isn't a sloppy or lazy filmmaker, which is why this upset me. Mann showed us with films like Heat, Collateral, and Public Enemies that he has endless potential, and he's better than what he gave us here.

Overall it's a good film, but its just lacking in several areas that are hard to ignore.