Good call there! That movie is rich with powerful scenes. My two fav scenes are 1) the kiss at the beseiged fort and 2) when Alice throws herself from the cliff. Amazing movie - the music carried it.
Another favorite moment is 'Gandalf's Charge' in LOTR The Two Towers. Wasn't in the book, but gives me goosebumps each time I see it.
Dittos for Snowy River.
and when the very Last Mohican kills Maguar right after that...deftly with that peculiar weapon.
Michael Mann, who directed Mohicans, was trained as a painter, not a film maker. You can clearly see that in how he composed scenes. Early in the film there's a classic shot of a coach going over a stone arch bridge over a stream and he's set up a perfect mirror reflection in the water. classic landscape composition. That is one of the most beautiful films I've ever seen.
'Gandalf's Charge' in LOTR The Two Towers.
For me, when Gandalf and the Horsemen of Rohan appear at the crest of the hill is the climax of a very powerful build up. The fight after that is strong, but the emotional moment is when he appears "at dawn, look to the east."
I'm really looking forward to King Kong to see if it lives up to the advance word. Peter Jackson is amazing. I do, however, agree with Jonah Goldbergs observation about the plot hole in both this version and the original. They're on this island and find dinosaurs, but elect to take the big monkey back with them?