Brad's All-Time Fave Films: #10

Last of the Mohicans (1992)

I first saw this film in bits and pieces in junior high and earlier high school, and it happened to catch me at a phase when I was really fascinated by the struggle between colonists and Native Americans. That precise conflict is encapsulated in the James Fenimore Cooper's "Last of the Mohicans" on a beautiful grand, and ultimately, tragic scale.

Daniel Day-Lewis turns in an incredible performance as Hawkeye, an adopted Mohican tribesman. It is said that Day-Lewis is a method actor and that he went and lived in the wilderness for several months in preparation for the part. I think it pays off as the entire movie takes place on the evolving American frontier. The female characters are also played well, but the key element of the story is the Mohicans' losing battle over their land, their honor and their legacy.

This movie has some great action sequences, but doesn't allow itself to be a slave to them. The balance is played out perfectly and the movie is fantastic as a result. I would highly recommend (obviously!).