Der letzte Mohikaner

Mann is a directorial intellectual with a unique gift for entertaining the masses. Reason and the senses can only wonder at the image and music composition, and the ingenious skill in building subtle relationships between the characters breathes life into the film. However, The Last of the Mohicans is, with all due respect, just a perfectly dressed Indian woman who, thanks to her simple shallowness, gave me the impression of perfect sterility the entire time. Any unwinding of the threads of the audience’s empathy for fated love crumbles from the warfare and vice versa. When it was over, I had a feeling of half-satisfied libido and longed for at least an extra half hour. PS: Having a familiar central theme doesn't automatically make the whole soundtrack brilliant. (05.10.2007)

Es ist eine brillante Limonade mit allem, was dazugehört: phänomenale Musik von Trevor Jones (das Titelthema ist so heroisch wie die Treppe nach Walhalla), schöne Außenaufnahmen, hervorragende Schauspieler, einfach geschriebene Charaktere, eine sehr einfache Struktur und ein wunderschön gedrehtes romantisches Element. So sehr ich romantische Linien auch verabscheue, Mann hat seine eigene durch des Funkens zwischen Stowe und Lewis meisterhaft auf die Leinwand gebracht. Der letzte Mohikaner ist vielleicht überraschend kurz und nicht sehr fließend, aber er versteht es, im richtigen Moment zu verlangsamen und eine schöne Aufnahme und eine beeindruckende Zeitlupe zu zaubern. Hollywood hat vielleicht ein Verbrechen an der Vorlage begangen, aber die süßlich-morbide Romanze entspricht genau dem, was ich als Teenager beim Lesen von "The Deer Hunter - Die durch die Hölle gehen“ empfand. Eine wunderbare Erinnerung an vergangene Jahre und ein Film, der mich immer wieder in Schwung bringt. Und überraschenderweise mehr und mehr. (30.01.2004)

Although they murder the original story, luckily The Last of the Mohicans works primarily as a romantic adventure movie in itself. And very well at that. Plus, all negative impressions are pushed out of the mind by the unforgettable final sequence. If the whole movie had been like that, I wouldn’t have lost for words. Just forget about seeing anything that resembles the book. ♫ OST score: 4/5 (07.08.2007)

The Last of the Mohicans goes against established customs of adventure films, whether it concerns the development of the plot or its culmination. Of course, I won't reveal it, but when it comes to the character development and the story, it does not alternate, as is usually customary, between purely thrilling and action-packed sequences and the slow ones. Instead, it carefully adds depth to its characters for almost an hour and a half, subtly sowing the seeds of omnipresent tension, only to unleash all the fate, romance, and action in a straightforward and brilliantly executed final section. Cooper's adaptation is by no means perfect, but, in the end, Mann might deserve some award because it is mainly thanks to him that most viewers feel like they just watched a flawless film. If there is something perfect in this movie, it is definitely the soundtrack, one of the best music compositions in history. (01.08.2006)

Cooper is a different category of writer than, for example, Karl May, whom I read when I was ten years old, and the films based on his novels can at best evoke a condescending smile from me. Nevertheless, he is still burdened with adventurous romance, which is closer to a different age category than the one I find myself in, and the same can be said of the film based on his source material. A classic scheme with a series of genre clichés, where you can already calculate in advance without knowing the book how everything will turn out and who will survive. On the other hand, The Last of the Mohicans is very well-made, so it doesn't offend me in any way, and even though it's not a genre that appeals to me, I have no problem giving it three stars. Overall impression: 60%. (09.02.2012)

I’d been trying unsuccessfully for months to watch this Mann movie and at last I found it in the TV guide at a time when I was free to watch it. Great actors, captivating music and breathtaking landscapes. The first half hour is the best I have ever seen in this genre. Incredibly intense. (26.09.2009)

The second strongest, most honest and soulful historical romance after Braveheart. The music is absolutely brilliant, with a central motif that is used in every other trailer. Madeleine Stowe is fantastic, not so much with her acting, but with her facial expressions. Daniel Day Lewis is a great actor and watching him in one of his best roles is an experience. Michael Mann brilliantly combines a strong romantic storyline with the bloody clash between two powers of the time, in a whole that is smooth, compact, and cohesive. Dante Spinotti's cinematography is superb and Mann's aggressive and mature direction was clearly the right choice for this story. (29.05.2004)

Nach vielen Jahren habe ich wieder Der letzte Mohikaner genossen, endlich als Blu-ray und in der Originalfassung. Und es ist immer noch ein toller Film. Falkenauge, Chingachgook und Uncas sind ausgezeichnete Helden. Magua ist einer der besten Film-Schufte, die ich je gesehen habe. Manns Regie liebkost die atemberaubenden Naturszenerien, sie ist in der Lage, vor den fesselnden Actionszenen Spannung aufzubauen. Der romantische Plot ist kein Problem, weil er zu solchen Abenteuergeschichten einfach dazugehört. Und dann gibt es hier natürlich das spannende Finale. Auch dank Jones’ und Edelmans Musik hat man das Gefühl, dass wirklich alles auf dem Spiel steht. Wie ich schon am Anfang geschrieben habe – es ist ein toller Film. Für die Geschichte der Kinematographie hat er wahrscheinlich keine große Bedeutung, er ist aber toll. (20.03.2023)

I saw Villeneuve's Dune yesterday and the majestic shots left me cold and emotionally detached, so I put on The Last of the Mohicans after a long time and my heart suddenly rejoices – this is how you make a film that lets its amazing visuals tell the story of its heroes without forgetting the touching, almost Shakespearean tale. Thanks mainly to the iconic music and Mann's dynamic direction, it's a goosebump-inducing ride from the start. And the final half-hour is a blast that brings me to my knees every time. Magua is an incredible and thoroughbred motherfucker, you don't see many bad guys like that anymore. 90 % (22.10.2021)

So that's where that music comes from! The Last of the Mohicans doesn't deny its age-old premise, especially in the romantic storyline. Almost every scene sweats pathos until it flows off the screen, and if by chance someone doesn't feel that way, the soundtrack pushes it in your face every five minutes until it's just funny. But once again you can rely on Mann, his perfectionism making some scenes breathtaking spectacle, further aided by the knowledge that this is the kind of "honest filmmaking (TM)" that involves hundreds of extras in real sets and everyone knows what to do (unlike Braveheart, where if you look beyond the foreground in the battles, there are some gentlemen jokingly wielding their swords and looking like boys playing knights). The convoy ambush scene is incredible. The Hurons running out of the woods on either side of the road, the initial confusion among the soldiers, then the first gunshots enveloping the entire clearing in white smoke, all in one slow rising shot where it's obvious that even the biggest newbie of a stuntman has been individually briefed on what he's supposed to be doing in the scene. Rarrr! (26.07.2018)

The film as a whole creates a great whole, which works mainly based on elaborate shots that are beautifully connected to the action on the screen, the performances of the actors, and above all, the music. It is absolutely incredible. An amazing combination of different motifs. I knew that the soundtrack was good, I had already heard it, but when you put it into individual scenes, everything suddenly takes on a completely new meaning. Randy Edelman and Trevor Jones did an absolutely great job, and after a long time, I appreciated the beautiful musical accompaniment more in many scenes, which occasionally draws attention to itself, but I didn't feel that it was to the detriment of the film, but on the contrary. Thanks to the slow-motion shots and magnificent scenes, "The Last of the Mohicans" gains in intensity and attains a completely new level when watched. A beautiful combination of all the artistic crafts that contribute to the film. More: http://www.filmovy-denik.cz/2013/09/posledni-mohykan-1992-85.html (01.09.2013)

Top-notch action sequences, a memorable musical theme and Mann's high filmmaking combine to produce one of the most believable and, in the best sense of the word, serious opuses in the field of historical cinema. Actually, it's not as spectacular as it (probably) could have been, but there's a very strong story lurking beneath the surface with a working romance and a (not so) naive heroic message. (28.10.2020)