"And one day there will be no more frontier...but once, we were here."

While out browsing for computer games with a good friend of mine, I came across the Director’s Cut DTS Edition of ‘The Last of the Mohicans’. I had only seen the film once but from what I remembered it was quite good. Since it was only $9.99 and included the ever-coveted DTS audio track I quickly added it to my collection. For the price I paid I’m happy to say that the DVD measures up. Only just barely.

Last of the Mohicans is set in 1757, during the French and British battle for control of the North American colonies. Both sides have the help of various native American war parties and the British troops enlist the aid of local colonial militia men who are afraid to leave their frontier homes unguarded against the French soldiers and native tribes. Three remaining men of the Mohawk tribe, one adopted white son and his native father and brother, find themselves escorting a solider and two daughters of a British officer across the wild frontier. Nathaniel (Daniel Day-Lewis) falls in love with one of the women, Cora (Madeleine Stowe), and risks everything to keep her safe from the vengeful leader of a Huron war party.

My friend Dave would almost certainly be able to provide a better description of what was really going on during the British/French war in the 18th century. The film doesn’t go to great lengths to explain exactly what the battle is about or which side we should be cheering for. This is probably a good thing since the story is not about the war itself, but rather the involvement of the native tribes caught up in it. It’s a sweeping, epic view of the last days of the frontier and the start of the colonization of the Americas.

I first saw Daniel Day-Lewis in the incredible film ‘In the Name of the Father’. His character had a thick Irish accent (which my wife would have loved) and was completely different than his character in Mohicans. I found Nathaniel to be a little over the top and too serious to really take seriously. Er…yeah. I’ve heard that Day-Lewis often goes to extremes to get into character and that he actually spent several months living and camping in the wilderness prior to filming. His character comes across harsh and to-the-point, which is probably what you would expect from a man trying to survive in the war-torn frontier. It does make it a little hard to believe that Cora would fall for him so quickly, which she does. It’s a touching love story but just a little hard to believe.

The real star of the show, however, is the cinematography. As expected the sweeping vistas and scenery of the American frontier in the 18th century is reproduced with stunning results. From grasslands and forests to fog enshrouded lakes and thundering waterfalls, virtually every scene has something beautiful to see. Even the war torn forts, complete with smoking cannonballs streaking across the sky, are displayed as accurately as I would imagine them. The Last of the Mohicans is partially about the changing landscape of the time, which is terrifically displayed through the incredible cinematography.

Although the scenes themselves are something to behold, the video transfer of the DVD itself left much to be desired. I couldn’t help but notice a ton of grain, haze and distortion in many of the scenes. Colors were muted and faded and the print had an overall dissolved look. I’m not sure if this is due to the age of the film (1992) or if it’s simply a poor transfer. My guess is the latter considering the high quality video of many older films on DVD. Had the 2.35:1 Anamorphic widescreen print been of higher quality this DVD would look amazing. That being said, there is one scene in particular, where Nathaniel leaps through a giant waterfall that looks incredible.

Fortunately there is a 5.1 DTS audio track which makes up for the poor video quality…almost. I definitely felt immersed in the wilderness as the surrounds conveyed all the sounds one would normally expect to find there. Birds chirping, twigs snapping, leaves rustling. And the battle scenes are thunderous, putting the subwoofer through its paces. Overall I was quite pleased with the audio.

As for bonuses, there are none to speak of. So I won’t.

The Last of the Mohicans is an enjoyable film but it seems to lack a certain something. Everything seems to be building to an epic climax but I just wasn’t brought in enough to feel it. The music is fantastic, the scenes are beautiful and the acting, for the most part, is spot on. But the glue that holds it all together is just a little weak. I would say that if you are interested in colonial America and native tribes, then you would certainly enjoy Mohicans. If not, there’s still a chance you would enjoy this film but it’s not going to knock your moccasins off.

The Last of the Mohicans gets 7 tomahawks (out of 10).

Click here for ‘The Last of the Mohicans’ trivia.