Michael Mann helped create the 80’s neon-noir & pastel music video aesthetic in TV and films with Miami Vice,Thief and Manhunter. Obviously this would lead to his 1992 movie adaptation of The Last of the Mohicans, a very dull and nigh-unreadable 19th Century adventure romance novel by James Fenimore Cooper. It’s a costume drama set during the French and Indian War starring Daniel Day-Lewis as Hawkeye, a white dude raised by the Mohicans who gets embroiled in the conflict to save the woman he loves (Madeleine Stowe) from becoming collateral damage. With gorgeous forested vistas, well-staged action, and a sweeping score by Trevor Jones, this one is a weird passion project for Mann, to be sure. But it did surprisingly well at the box office, so I guess that’s something. So stay alive, no matter what occurs… we will podcast about it for you!

0:00 - Intros
9:35 - Parks and Recreation
16:20 - The Traitors NZ
20:00 - Thunderbolts* (2025)
31:45 - 28 Years Later (2025)
39:00 - The Last of the Mohicans (1992)

Here’s the Ben Stiller Show clip Eric referenced: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yaAC3OppG94