The Last of the Mohicans (1992)

Directed by Michael Mann
Written by Michael Mann and Christopher Crowe, adapted from the 1936 Philip Dunne screenplay by John L. Balderston, Paul Perez and Daniel Moore, based on the novel by John Fenimore Cooper
Starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Madeleine Stowe, Russell Means and Eric Schweig

When rugged frontiersman Hawkeye saves the Munro sisters - two newly arrived English settlers - from a Huron ambush, he and his adoptive father and brother end up in the midst of a battle between the British and the French for control of the American colonies.

Unequivocally epic and with an impressively large scale, this film does a great job at creating the world of the American frontier in 1757. It is believable right off the bat with the rural setting and the beautiful wilderness that the characters trek through.

Though it is expected for Daniel Day-Lewis to wow with his performance in no matter what movie he is in, I regret to say this is his least impressive performance that I've seen to date. That's not to say that he is bad. And I am not entirely convinced that it is his fault. The character seemed a bit dry and left much to be desired.

The story and writing provided us with many melodramatic moments you would expect to see only in a soap opera. But it felt more like a directing and editing problem than it did the performances of the actors involved.

Director Michael Mann has similar problems with most of his films. At times it feels he cares too much about the imagery and the immersive scale of the setting than he does the performances, which ultimately hurts the overall quality of the project.

Though the performances really worked against the enveloping cinematography, it is irrefutable that this is a good movie. Not as great as I would have hoped it would be. But it is certainly an impressive movie with many positive qualities. There is a reason many consider this a classic.

My Rating: 7/10

Fitzcarraldo (1982)

Written and Directed by Werner Herzog
Starring Klaus Kinski, Miguel Ángel Fuentes, Paul Hittscher and Huerequeque Enrique Bohorquez

An obsessive rubber baron, intent on building an opera house deep within the Peruvian jungle, he devises a plan to obtain a a region of forest thought to be inaccessible in order to raise money for his passion project. He finds he must move a steamboat over a mountain in order to achieve his goal.

There is a saying in the film industry in regards to post production and the editing of a film. "Cut what you love". This might seem like the rantings of a lunatic at first, but it's meaning is quite true. If a scene does not add to your movie, or slows down the pacing, or in anyway affects the focus of the audience, get rid of it. Leave it on the cutting room floor. This movie is a perfect example of why this phrase exists.

Before I continue with my criticisms of it, know that this movie is fantastic. It is a film that could truly only be directed by Werner Herzog and his crazy ways. His obsessive genius, as well as Klaus Kinski's talent are highlighted and showcased in this film. The sheer scale of this film is one to behold with amazement. As much of a cliché as the word is today, this film is the very definition of the word "epic".

That is due in part by how it was made. How do you make a film in which a 320-ton steamboat is moved over a mountain? Why, you move a 320-ton steamboat over a mountain, damn it! How do you make a film in which said steamboat and it's crew go through some of the most dangerous rapids in South America?

Well, that's tricky. You actually intentionally place the steamboat in some of the most dangerous rapids in South America and roll the camera's as it crashes into the rocks protruding on either side and the cast and crew get flung all over the boat.

Regardless of how awesome this film is, I do have a problem with it's length. That is coming from a man who loves long movies and would rather have had "The Hobbit" series be released as one 9-hour long movie instead of three separate ones. I love long movies. And while with a running time of 2-hours and 37-minutes, this movie isn't terribly long, it certainly feels like it is.

I feel Herzog could have cut certain scenes out and shortened some shots and cut the film down to two hours or less. Perhaps it was the hell he had put himself through creating these insanely captivating images that caused him to be unable to part ways with even a single frame. I could understand that. But I found it's length and pace distracting at times, which is extremely rare for me.

But it is definitely impressive.

That one criticism aside, this movie is a brilliant portrayal of what one man will do in order to obtain his dream. It is a overwhelming display of the enormity of the South American jungle and the human spirit. And yet another example of how German cinema is considered by some to be the best in the world.

My Rating: 8/10