How faithful this adaptation is to the James Fenimore Cooper novel I do not know. The plot for the most part is a standard romantic adventure. Hawkeye (Daniel Day-Lewis, GANGS OF NEW YORK) is a white man raised by Indians, who falls in love with Cora Munro (Madeleine Stowe, BAD GIRLS), the oldest daughter of British colonel Edmund Munro (Maurice Roeves, TV's DAVID). Or course like most great romances, their needs to be a love triangle so we get shady British officer Duncan Hayward (Steven Waddington, SLEEPY HOLLOW), who loves Cora, but she does not return the same feelings.
Cora, Duncan and Munro's younger daughter, Alice (Jodhi May, THE HOUSE OF MIRTH), fall into grave danger and Hawkeye, along with his Indian brethren Chingachgook (Russell Means, BUFFALO GIRLS) and Uncas (Eric Schweig, TOM AND HUCK), rescue them, leading Hawkeye to fall in love with Cora to the dismay of Duncan. It's pretty standard stuff really. But what makes this film so good is the detail.
Director Michael Mann (HEAT) is a stickler for authenticity, which he brings wonderfully to this story. Watch how the action scenes play out. He waits and allows natural tension to build instead of jumping head first into battle with fast cuts and frantic action. There's also a historical point of view to the film that is intriguing. There's an honor between the officers of the French and British armies and a recognition that their enemies are human beings too.
The chief bad guy Magua (Wes Studi, MYSTERY MEN) is also intriguing. He exemplifies the archetype of the Indian savage depicted in Westerns, but he has reasons and motivations that are human and from the heart. A movie with him as the hero could have been made from this same material. That's complex character development from a film that could have been just an epic romance plain and simple.
Now we come to the romance, which is first rate. Day-Lewis and Stowe electrify the screen and we believe these two people are madly in love. Day-Lewis has an unblinking focus in the role that could have been really cheesy in the hands of a less skilled actor.
Adding to the overall wonder of the film is the amazing cinematography, which captures the pastoral beauty of the U.S., as well as the shocking destruction of war. Take note of an establishing shot of a bridge early in the film that could have been a throw away, but in the hands of skilled filmmakers turns into an image of noticeable beauty. The real misstep with the picture is the romance subplot between Uncas and Alice, which is extremely underdeveloped for the final payoff to truly be believable.
All in all, the film is a wonderful adventure/ romance that is anchored by an interesting eye for detail and solid performances by the two lead actors.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
