Last of the Dogmen
 | Average Customer Rating: Recommend Despite an irritating, tacked-on voice-over narration that somebody must have thought was necessary to make sense of the story (it wasn't), Last of the Dogmen is actually a very moving and magical film. Tom Berenger plays a Montana bounty hunter who helps an anthropologist (Barbara Hershey) search for the descendants of a Cheyenne tribe who disappeared in the 1870s. What the two find in a remote mountain stretch is an entire community of Cheyenne who have… Product details and pricing info |
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108 Customer Reviews Posted
- Last of the Dogmen
- This movie is a one of a kind! I have never seen anything like it before. It's a movie my kids can even watch without the sensorship. I'm wondering why none of the actors didn't win any awards for this movie!
- 2005-04-13, 4 of 6 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- Last of the Dogmen
- A small group of Cheyenne survived the Sand Creek Massacre of 1864, relocated and remained hidden from modern society for almost a century and a half?
That's the question that LAST OF THE DOGMEN poses. Tom Berenger plays a bounty hunter who's engaged to track three escaped convicts in the Oxbow, a multi-thousand square mile area of rugged and unexplored wilderness in northern Montana. Berenger doesn't get his man, or men, but he does stumble across some mighty suspicious looking rider obscured in a fog. Barbara Hershey plays an anthropologist he engages to help him investigate the mystery.
Filmed in Mexico and Canada, this movie looks good. Berenger is appropriately rugged and Hershey appropriately professorish, they have a good Bogart/Hepburn AFRICAN QUEEN chemistry going, the dog is cute.
LAST OF THE DOGMEN held my attention but it didn't make me say `wow'. There's a lot more character interaction than action and things bog down at times. There's are some plot inconsistencies as well - for instance, if the Dogmen capture or kill everyone who discovers their presence, how does Berenger's character escape the first time they see him?
Movies like open with inspiration and require a lot of perspiration before they can close. The idea of a hidden tribe is intriguing. How you go about finding it, and what you do after you've found it, is the trick. In 1937 Frank Capra found the winning formula in LOST HORIZON, while almost bankrupting Columbia in the process. Even though LAST OF THE DOGMEN is listed under "Adventure," I'd put it in the same category as Capra's speculative fantasy. In any event, both are about a retreat back to an idyllic, primitive past. The village as Eden, the wisdom of simplicity, the flight from modernity - call it what you will, it's a compelling fantasy. - 2005-01-27, 21 of 29 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- Engrossing and entertaining drama-adventure
- This one caught me by surprise, to say the least. While Hershey's supporting performance wasn't up to her usual high quality, Berringer was quite convincing. I was, however, drawn into the story I found myself reacting strongly (as I'm sure the director intended). Rarely does that happen with this particular genre.
While I could have lived without the historically inaccurate narration (the reason it got 4 stars rather than 5), I have an unusual level of knowledge on Native American history, and so such inaccuracies were a distraction to me. However, the narration may be useful as part of the story for those with little or no knowledge of Native Americans, particularly in laying out the premise and maintaining continuity.
The cinematography itself is stunning, demonstrating the talents and imagination of the director, camera operators, and editors. The movie uses this in place of the gimmicky special effects and stunts of most modern movies, and the result is excellent.
Overall, a well done movie that most will enjoy. - 2004-12-15, 7 of 8 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- Engrossing and entertaining drama-adventure
- This one caught me by surprise, to say the least. While Hershey's supporting performance wasn't up to her usual high quality, Berringer was quite convincing. I was, however, drawn into the story I found myself reacting strongly (as I'm sure the director intended). Rarely does that happen with this particular genre.
While I could have lived without the historically inaccurate narration (the reason it got 4 stars rather than 5), I have an unusual level of knowledge on Native American history, and so such inaccuracies were a distraction to me. However, the narration may be useful as part of the story for those with little or no knowledge of Native Americans, particularly in laying out the premise and maintaining continuity.
The cinematography itself is stunning, demonstrating the talents and imagination of the director, camera operators, and editors. The movie uses this in place of the gimmicky special effects and stunts of most modern movies, and the result is excellent.
Overall, a well done movie that most will enjoy. - 2004-12-15, 2 of 3 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- Last of the Dogmen
- I was flipping channels during the Olympics and came across this movie on a local independent station. The movie captured my attention enough to watch most of it. I had no idea what was happening at first, so I decided to look it up in the television guide from our newspaper. The movie critic who rates these for the Pioneer Press gave it one star. At first I was inclined to agree as Tom Berenger is really a second rate character actor.
But the movie grew on me. I found it engaging and entertaining, what else should a movie be? My emotions swayed with the events on the screen. I felt anger at the Indians then sympathy. The story line is off of mainstream, but I like that. There is no chance of a corny sequel and I also like that. This is a good movie and it is worth a look. Tom Berenger still can't act, but the movie absorbed his weaknesses well. - 2004-08-24, 0 of 0 people found this review helpful, Rated:
