- Written and Directed by Tab Murphy (Feature Directorial Debut)
- September 8, 1995
A bounty hunter tracking escaped convicts into a remote region of Montana comes across an undiscovered tribe of Cheyenne.
Last of the Dogmen has been a Western favorite of mine for a long time though one I am conflicted on. I think this viewing has illuminated me on why and it was all because of a simple difference in this physical release over all the others I had viewed before. By no means does that change make it a masterpiece, but it strangely improves things. It does not cure the action over brains ending but mitigates that flaw greatly. What that change is I will eventually get to.
The film stars Tom Berenger as tracker Lewis Gates, Barbara Hershey as Professor Lillian Diane “L.D.” Sloan who helps Gates, and the ever-excellent Kurtwood Smith as Sheriff Deegan who has a personal grudge against Gates that causes many of the issues of the story. Gates is a man nursing guilt and pain over the death of his wife/Deegan’s daughter and Deegan is the local sheriff that blames him for it. This intersects with small group of Cheyenne hidden in the wilderness for decades and now the modern world has started to finally encroach on them.
The story begins win experienced tracker Gates hired by his former father-in-law to track three escaped convicts that mysteriously vanished leaving behind only bloody fabric. It establishes the friction between the two male leads. It does not make it a testosterone driven story but rather a narrative about two men with issues.
One of the things that appeals to me about this movie is that Gates is not trying to make some great discovery. Something weird happened and he wants answers. He has a distinct set of views though is not above changing them should something contradict them. He just needs an explanation. He has a distinct view based on experience and a moment has upended that. Berenger as a talented actor makes him a believable dog with a bone.
Lillian Sloan is the scholar he goes to for help who looks like a teacher. She’s a professional and she knows what she’s talking about but not one with a stick up your butt. This script does not mistake an attitude problem for intelligence. These are equals with each contributing something the other cannot. They form a team that complements each other. Through the course of the story Gates, and Sloan understand and respect each other with an attraction forming.
Like many classic Westerns the camera lovingly frames the grand vistas and the Native American imagery present in Last of the Dogmen. It loves the environment and the people within. Filmed in Canada (though set in Montana) this is a showcase of unspoiled wilderness. It has gorgeous shots.
We learn that people (convicts included) have been disappearing over the years. What is far too quietly revealed is that they were not casually killed over a need for protection by the Cheyenne but because of the Cheyenne’s limited knowledge of the outside world or just a general misunderstanding. Somehow that needed to be communicated better. It is poorly hinted at by a vague reference to the convicts shooting at the son of character Yellow Wolf (Steve Reevis) leading to their demise but you would be forgiven for thinking they just offed anybody they thought might reveal their secret.
Characters have their pain and baggage, but nobody is so emotionally addled that you’re wondering not only how they can function in society, but how they’re not in an institution. Life goes on and they’re dealing with it as best they can though until they deal with it they can’t live their best life. Lewis for his part by the end finds something worth fighting and living for along with being able to love again. Sloan finds that one person who is just right.
On Sloan…
She seems to have not had any trouble finding men by her own statement (implying many) but what was her dysfunction? None of those relationships work out with her fondly if not kindly recalling the men in her past. I know I’m really thinking too much on this, but what was so different about Lewis? The failed relationships story and her clear connection to Lewis were to say he was the one but in real life a long string of failures is a big red flag. I think that part of their story should’ve been a little worked on.
Then again Barbara Hershey’s character just needed worked on. I vaguely remember the marketing to me implying she had some connection to the found tribe that even she wasn’t aware of. I’m not sure how she or that could’ve been developed but give a little more meat to her story.
This is not some kinetic wild ride. Last of the Dogmen is a bit of a slow burn, but one that is always burning. In between the assorted establishing shots and scene changes there’s always story or character development. In general, the things the characters go through or how they react are understandable and plausible.
Gates and Yellow Wolf do not get along pretty much from the start. The tribesmen has clear distrust for Gates and Gates just can’t understand why Yellow Wolf is being such a jerk. During the course of the movie they may not become friends, but they do come to a level of respect for each other. There is no great struggle between them based on bigotry or Gates needing to apologize for anything.
Now to that change that improved it all. The American release-the version I first knew-included a third-person narration by Wilford Brimley which is absent from the version I just viewed. It was always a bit of an issue for me. A bigger one than even I was aware. Brimley’s never named third person narrator was never seen in the film yet his words made him sound intimately aware of events of the story. It focuses the ending too much using a character you never see. Removing that narration took things up a notch or two.
Without the narration this has a much more fantasy feel. There’s no magic or anything but there is supposed to be a sense of wonder. The lack of narration removed someone else telling the viewer what to think giving the story a larger than life feel rather than bringing it down to Earth. You the viewer are left to decide what to think and how to feel about things rather than Brimley telling you how it is or may be.
Without that narration, the second half of the movie, which is the weakest part, doesn’t feel as weak. I think it was just a little too big with explosions. I am confused how Lewis after conducting an armed robbery of a pharmacy to steal drugs got out of jail in a relatively short amount of time. That’s perhaps my largest issue with it. Off the top of my head I don’t know what the laws were in the 90s but I would imagine a punishment could not be avoided. I don’t think Deegan would just be able to unilaterally drop the charges. The film needed an ending where the characters could come to their understanding and more realistically look the other way on the crimes that though justified were committed. It made it easier for Lewis to be able to move on with a future that included Sloan.
This viewing of Last of the Dogmen has elevated my opinion of the film. It may not be the greatest of modern Western. It is an excellent action packed and emotional film that loves the scenery like all Westerns should and possesses a sense of wonder that makes a great watch.
Warren Watched A Movie 