A Disappointing Continuation

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

"Last of The Dogmen" was and is the most outstanding performance Mr. Bergen has given in his career. As an audience member I really felt he WAS the character he portrayed. He has been in so many great films, but as I have watched this one 23 times, this is how I know he is great in the film and the film is great because each time is like watching for the first time, so excited and holding my breath! He makes you feel as if this is something that could happen right now today!! To me,which I know means very little, Your performance Sir, should receive the Academy Award. You are truly amazing in your career and The Father has Blessed you. Again,thank you and wish there would be part 2 of this film. God Bless. A Fan of all Your Films, Charlie

Last of the Dogmen is written and directed by Tab Murphy. It stars Tom Berenger, Barbara Hershey, Kurtwood Smith and Steve Reevis. Music is scored by David Arnold and cinematography by Karl Walter Lindenlaub. When three convicts escape from prison and head into the Montana mountains, the local law enforcer hires skillful tracker/bounty hunter Lewis Gates (Berenger) to go find them. What he finds is torn clothes, blood and an Indian arrow. After spying someone in the trees it leads Gates to an investigation on the possibility of a lost tribe of Cheyenne Indians living in the mountains.A thoroughly enjoyable contemporary Western, even if it's cribbing clichés from a number of films and TV episodes of the past. Formula of story is simple, grizzled tracker man Berenger and prim anthropologist Hershey are poles apart, but into the mountains they go in search of a hidden tribe of Cheyenne. That they find them is a given, since the title says it all, but what unfolds is a burgeoning relationship between the two, while much understanding and soul searching involving the "alien" Cheyenne makes for a good chunk of the narrative. There's observations galore in here about the advancement of time, different cultures etc, and a nod to the Sand Creek Massacre, while a back story sub-plot involving Kurtwood Smith is deftly handled; if a little redundant in the grand scheme of things.Anyone who has seen the likes of The African Queen, Dances With Wolves and the Twilight Zone Episode: A Hundred Yards Over The Rim, wont be particularly surprised by what transpires in eventuality. But Berenger and Hershey make for a nice duo to be in the company of, while Kip the dog steals the film from both of them! Though story is set in Montana, film was shot on location in Alberta and British Columbia, and here is the film's trump card, where Lindenlaub's photography is quite simply stunning. In fact his work, and that of Arnold, whose score darts in and out of the landscape, deserves to be in an "A" grade movie. It rounds out as very watchable, a professional picture that just about manages to sustain interest and good will for the two hours run time. 7/10

Last of the Dogmen (1995) - on AMC - It is always a treat to stumble upon a film that captures your attention for some inexplicable reason and then works its way into your heart. That's what happened today as I watched "Last of the Dogmen." There are elements that remind me a bit of "Dances with Wolves" and "Cocoon." I think the "Cocoon" part is Wilford Brimley's voice in the narration and the supernatural elements. At one point Brimley as the narrator states that faith is believing in something you can't see. If you really want to enjoy this film, then faith that anything is possible will help.Any western with Native Americans being pursued by white oppressors will always be reminiscent of many films before and after "Dances with Wolves." This film is in favor of preserving the rights of the Cheyenne to continue their heritage. Gates (Tom Berenger) and Lillian ( Barbara Hershey) have their rom-com "meet cute" when Gates seeks her help in learning more about a possible hidden Cheyenne tribe he encounters evidence of while in pursuit as a bounty hunter. Conveniently, Lillian is an anthropologist specializing in the Cheyenne culture and is also fluent in their language. In search of the possible tribe, the two main characters end up on a long and fruitful journey along with Gates' faithful dog Zip.Once with the Cheyenne, they both come to understand their ways, but conflict occurs when Gates leaves the hidden camp to return for medicine. The medicine helps seal the bond with the tribe and Gates and Lillian learn many details about the last of the Dogmen that escaped the whites over 120 winters ago and adapt to their culture. Determined to keep the Cheyenne hidden from society, Gates eventually has to part from Lillian which is tough now that they have spent many moons together. Predictably, Gates secret is discovered by his angry former father-in-law, but all is eventually set aright and, once again, the theme of faith determines how the audience will feel about the ending. While this isn't of the caliber of "Dances with Wolves," it still shows that good hearts and good people do exist, and that there are those willing to preserve the heritage of a lost nation. Overall, this can't compare, and it is in no way near as good. But if you enjoy a good western with beautiful scenery, a beautiful story, and an ending based on hope and faith that goodness will prevail, then this is a worthwhile way to spend a couple of hours.

After seeing this movie, I keep saying to myself, "You've got to be kidding." Billed as adult fare, this film turns out to have a juvenile level writing and a Disneyesque finish. It was the first feature film written by Tab Murphy, who went on to write Disney films. Despite reasonably decent directing (Murphy was also the director), someone failed to tell him that this was not a Disney cartoon movie. Terrific acting by the entire cast could not save a script that was marginal at best throughout -- and downright unbelievable toward the end. The movie starts with the sheriff needing our hero Gates to track three escaped convicts because the sheriff couldn't do it, despite his radios, off-road vehicles and helicopters. It's bad enough that Gates displays no tracking ability while chasing the convicts; his dog does all the detective work. Worse yet, when the sheriff decides to form a posse and chase Gates into the wilderness (presumably because Gates stole some penicillin form a drug store), he tracks Gates precisely and directly to the gates of an idyllic Cheyenne community that went without detection for 150 years. My wife is Native American and found the idyllic portrayal of Cheyenne life to be no more realistic than the cartoon Pocahontas. And then, after finding his prey (Gates), the sheriff makes an irrational and unwarranted decision to go even deeper into the wilderness, thereby providing an unexplained villain who now threatens the ancient Native American community, even when Murphy failed to include the sheriff on the community's existence in the first place. It all made for a sappy, hyped and juvenile story line lacking any credibility at the end. Mr. Murphy, please stay with the Disney cartoons and not feature films intended for adults.