The Last of the Mohicans - A good movie about a white Indian and a badass club.
The Last of the Mohicans was released in 1992 and stars Daniel Day-Lewis, and though over thirty years old now this movie stills hold weight. It takes place in 1757 during the French and Indian War with the British trying to gain control of the colonies. The movie begins with Daniel Day-Lewis running through the woods with two Indians, whom we learn are his father and brother…which, if you’re doing the math means he was adopted, but you can barely tell because he has long hair, just like an Indian – which was not cultural appropriation in the 90’s.
The three men come across a frontier home whom we learn are their friends, the Cameron’s. There happens to be another man at the Cameron’s, Jack, who is also a friend of theirs. Jack tells the men that he is gathering people to come fight with the British with the hopes that the British will protect their homes from Indian war parties. The colonists say they’ll fight with the British if they can leave at any time to protect their homes…The British agree. Jack and some other men agree to go and fight with the British, but Daniel Day-Lewis and his Indian dad and brother are like, “no”
We then meet major Duncan, who is super British and super loyal to the crown. He arrived too transport Cora and Alice to Fort William Henry. We soon learn that super British guy is into Alice and wants to marry her…and she is like, “I just like you as a friend.” They are the daughters of Colonel Munroe who is charge of the Fort. An Indian guide, Magua (who is a bad Indian, which you can’t tell at all by looking at him, but is pretending to be a good Indian) agrees to guide them to Fort William Henry. However, Magua is walking them into an ambush.
As Magua’s war party seizes upon the super British guy, the two girls and a bunch of generic British soldiers, Daniel Day-Lewis with his Mohican dad and brother, are like, “not on my watch” – they intervene and just like the Rock, lay the smack down on the bad Indians, and it’s here that we first see Daniel Day-Lewis’s dad’s super Mohican club which is awesome, and is really secret star of the movie…
Anyway, Magua gets away, but Daniel Day-Lewis and his Mohican dad and brother agree to guide the British guy and the girls to the fort. In route to the fort they go past the Cameron’s home which had been attacked by the bad Indians – they killed the Cameron’s and burned the house down without taking anything.
Alice, is like, “We need to give these people a proper Christian burial” and Daniel Day-Lewis is like “no” and she is like “you’re a pagan” but then she later finds out that he didn’t bury his friends because it would have made it easier for them to be tracked by a war party and Alice apologizes.
As they arrive at the Fort they see that it is under heavy cannon fire by the French and will soon fall. They are able to sneak into the Fort and the girls are reunited with their father. Daniel Day-Lewis tells Munroe that there are war parties attacking the colonists, innocent women and children are being killed and they need to go and protect them – but Munroe says, “no, the crown comes first”.
So, Daniel Day-Lewis says that Munroe needs to let the colonists leave based on their earlier agreement with another British general. Munroe says that he would need evidence that it was a war party, so he asks the super British guy whom Daniel Day-Lewis saved…and he is like, “there is no evidence that it was a war party,” and Daniel Day-Lewis is like “you’re liar”…and Alice tells the super British guy that she won’t marry him.
Then Daniel Day-Lewis helps some of the colonists escape and he is thrown into jail and sentenced to be hanged. Alice tries to get him released, but the super British is not like, no, you only want Daniel Day-Lewis released because you’re into him.
The French commander offers terms of surrender to the British, and he is super French…he is just French which is terrible. The French mercifully allow everyone inside the Fort to leave as long as they give up the Fort to which the British agree. So then, Magua who was working with the French, gathers a war party to attack the British as they are leaving. It’s here we learn of Magua’s motivation and deep hatred for Monroe. Munroe was responsible to attacking Magua’s village killing his wife and children, so Magua is going to cut out Monroe’s heart and kill his children.
As the war party attacks the British, a pretty cool battle ensues, and Daniel Day-Lewis’s Indian dad and brother rescue him and then they go to rescue Alice and her sister, which they do just in time, as Alice was about to be killed by bad guy Indian, Daniel Day-Lewis rescues her, clubbing bad guy Indian to death. They are able to get away in boat, but so too is super British guy, however, Magua cuts out Munroe’s heart in the battle.
The war party continues to pursue the Mohicans, the white Mohican, the girls and the super British guy tracking them down as they hide in a cavern behind the waterfall, which creates some pretty awesome visuals. As Magua and the bad guy Indians approach, they realize they can’t fight the bad Indians, their gun powder is all wet and they are outnumbered.
So Daniel Day-Lewis and the two Mohicans jump through the waterfall to get away (which looks pretty awesome…and is now on my bucket list), but before he does he tells Alice, that, no matter what, she must stay alive, and that he would find her, no matter how long it takes he would find her.
They escape but the girls and super British guy are captured, and Magua brings them to the Huron Indian chief as an offering, but before they are killed Daniel Day Lewis shows up to plea for Alice and her sister, and lets the chief know that Magua double crossed the French and attacked the British as they were fleeing and that it would be wise to let the British guy go. The Chief says, to let the British guy go but tells Magua he can take the younger sister for himself, and that the older sister should be burned alive because of what happened to Magua’s children.
Daniel Day-Lewis offers himself to be killed in Alice’s place but when super British translates Daniel Day-Lewis’s words to the chief…super British guy actually offers himself instead, so Alice and Daniel day Lewis can be together. The Mohicans are watching all this go down at a distance. As Magua leaves with Alice’s sister, Daniel’s brother, who was into Alice’s sister, is like, “not on my watch”…and he goes to rescue her. As Daniel Day-Lewis and Alice find his Mohican father waiting for them in the woods he throws Daniel Day-Lewis his gun so he can shoot super British guy to end his suffering as he is being burned alive.
They then take off to catch up with the younger brother who is going to take on this war party by himself to rescue the girl – which is awesome! After the younger brother makes it through a few guys he has to take on Magua – Magua kills him and pushes his body off the cliff…Alice’s younger sister jumps off the cliff killing herself before Daniel Day-Lewis and his father can get to them.
Then in a super badass, Jonathan and his armor bearer type way, Daniel Day-Lewis and his Mohican father totally plow though the war party leaving father Mohican to take on Magua. Magua doesn’t stand a chance – as Father Mohican precedes to lay a Stone-Cold style smack down on Magua with his club (which should have won the Oscar for best supporting actor for being such an awesome club).
The movie ends with Daniel Day-Lewis, Alice, his father and his father’s Mohican club, starring off into the distance on top of the mountain.
Man Test
Even though this is love story, this movie absolutely passes the man test. Any man can watch this movie and not feel gay.
Christian Worldview
What about Christian worldview? Are there things in this movie that are reflected of the Christian worldview that Christians can get excited about? Absolutely, themes of bravery and honor, and self-sacrifice are seen throughout this movie. There was also redemption for the super British guy who lied earlier in the movie motivated by self-interest to marry Alice, but would later sacrifice himself, dying in order to save Alice.
This movie is still awesome, over thirty years later because these masculine themes are able to shine through…men still act like men in this movie and are able to rescue the women and it’s glorious. If this movie were made today it would absolute crap – Hollywood who make it about white oppression with Alice (being a material arts expert and well trained in warfare) rescuing the poor natives from their evil white son…with Magua being the real star of the show played by a black midget…let us pray this movie is never gets remade.
But the one the thing that stands out to me the most is Daniel Day-Lewis’ pursuit of Alice. He will do whatever it takes to rescue her from her captives. To me, this is a glorious picture of Christ’s pursuit of His Bride, and His willingness to lay down His life for hers.
Through His righteous life, and sin-atoning death, burial, resurrection and ascension He has set the captives free…rescuing His Bride from her wicked oppressor: sin and its consequent death. Because of this, nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. He is a great Warrior Priest, and though He doesn’t have an awesome Mohican club, He does have something better – a rod and a staff that comforts us and protects us from wolves.
Overall, I give this movie and A. The scenery is awesome, the soundtrack is awesome, the direction and acting is good, and that damn Mohican club is so cool.
_edited_edited.png)
