It isn't all that great, actually. Really cheesy and very predicable of how certain scenes are gonna turn play out. However, I guess that's the charm of it all, because I would consider this one of my guilty pleasures.

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

This was my first R-rated movie at the age of 8 (I kid you not), but it was for historical teaching purposes. Since that time, I've come back to this many times, and it gets better with each viewing. From the grand opening showing the mountain range of New York, to the epic battles, and the interactions between the characters, most notably Daniel Day Lewis as Hawkeye, you know you're in for something beautiful to look at as well as a story to get involved in. As I said before, Daniel Day Lewis really gets into the character of Hawkeye and the way he works with both friends and enemies, you feel for him. I will admit the love part between him and Cora and can get a little corny, but that's a minor setback, as everything else is done so well. Wes Studi, a veteran Native American actor gives it his all as Magua, the cold Huron Indian villain who becomes twisted from his treatment from others. If you want a real treat, be sure to see this (if you can) on the big screen, as that's the best way to view this movie in all its majesty.

The Good= This film has great music(one of my favorite soundtracks), a good cast, a strong story(from J.F. Cooper), great scenery, and an epic feel. Enough action and scenery and sensible revenge to make it watchable. Magua was a good character that you disliked, but could identify with his motivations and sympathize with his reasons.The Bad= Underdeveloped characters, who get little time to explain anything about their relations with other characters or how they feel about anything. Some boring parts of the script, and lackluster moments or additions to the storyline that didn't further the plot or your interest. Also, the sound seems too quiet for the whispering dialogue in places when I watch on a DVD player. Oh, and the intimate dynamic of the relationships between Alice and Uncas, and Hawkeye and Cora, seem edited out like something was missing. Really artificial story telling with gaps.The Ugly= One of the worst things about this movie was the sanitized violence. I don't enjoy torture porn or violence just to be over the top, but really??? So many tomahawk strikes, knife stabs, bullet wounds, etc. with no blood or gore. It would have really given the movie more realism and depth to hear a loud chop of a weapon and see more blood flowing like "The Patriot" or "Braveheart", and been more satisfying. Some of the fight choreography and realism seemed really sanitized. I also found Lewis(though a good actor) to possibly be a mismatch for this role, and too "pretty" for a white man living in the woods all day.

There are worse things than being scalped in the wilderness of the North American frontier in 1757. There are those who poison hearts. Magua, a Huron warrior with a twisted heart full of greed and lust for revenge, is skilled at doing both. In a surprise attack on a company of woefully unprepared British troops in the forest, Magua nearly succeeds in killing a pair of sisters – Cora and Alice Munro - traveling with the unfortunate soldiers. The Munro sisters and their protector, Major Duncan Heyward, are rescued by a trio of Mohican trackers. Among the Mohicans is a pale skinned marksman named Hawkeye. In order to keep their scalps, the Brits stick with the roaming Mohicans. Cora and Hawkeye, both fiercely independent spirits, become infatuated with each other along the way. Duncan unravels at this. He wants Cora for himself. In anger and jealousy Duncan risks accomplishing the very evils that Magua, still-circling and keen for the kill, intends. Hearts are as lethal as hatchets.Filmmakers often do not do book authors any favors, yet this is one case where they do. James Fenimore Cooper's machismo manifesto is spiced up with added romance and without ruining the underlying narrative. Action lovers are not left hung out to dry. Hatchets shine red, warriors swagger, cannon balls thump on fort walls, bodies tumble from cliffs and scalps are snapped up like action figures at dragon-con.From the outset of the film, where Hawkeye runs adeptly and tirelessly through the forest in pursuit of prey, the intensity and dedication of actor Daniel Day-Lewis is highlighted. The film could be watched merely for the enjoyment of his acting skills. Hawkeye is one of the roles that Day-Lewis seems destined to portray and it is hard to imagine the two apart. Madeleine Stowe (Cora) and Day-Lewis provide fervent chemistry. We delight in the combining of these two generous and independent souls. Wes Studi is a natural as Magua. He wields heartlessness and hatchet with equally fearsome effectiveness.One of the wonders of the story, which combines real events and fiction, is that it reveals the roots and nature of the ideal American character. This character is exemplified by Hawkeye whose holds dear the wilderness and has an independent spirit, open heart, outdoor skills and moral courage. "Whoever comes into the woods to deal with the natives," wrote Cooper "must use native fashions, if they would wish to prosper in their undertakings." Hawkeye intuitively understands and demonstrates this. He knows both worlds of natives and settlers alike, and is beholden to none. Educated under sky and forest canopy, he is fearless, generous and sympathetic. The American frontier may be shrinking along with the Mohicans, yet the spirit lives on. It is the fabric that ties Americans together and director Michael Mann brings it to life.On the 25th anniversary of the film release, one can look back from the sleep inducing dullness of the overly used computer animation era and appreciate amazing old-school thrills. Upstate New York is the setting of the story, yet the beautiful waterfalls, mountains and old growth forests of North Carolina serve as the backdrops for the film. The Celtic influenced soundtrack is so mesmerizing that you will find yourself humming it aloud and, if off-tune, irritating your neighbors. My friend Mark Baker makes a brief appearance as "colonial man."

This is a contemporary version of an age old American classic. We have the standard James Fennimore Cooper novel with Hawkeye and Chingachgook. A group of pioneer women are kidnapped from a fort in upstate New York. The Mohicans are an incredibly violent tribe. The settlers are slowly being massacred because they pose a threat to the indigenous people. Hawkeye and his Indian partner are given the task of keeping people safe. They are wise to the way things operate. This is one of the most violent films I've seen. Daniel Day Lewis plays the famous woodsman. Over the edge interpretation of a signature book. However, not for the squeamish.