Movies don't really feel like this anymore. Back in 1995, a film called The Last of the Dogmen hit theaters, and honestly, it felt like a relic even then. It didn't have the CGI-soaked spectacle of Jurassic Park or the gritty, hyper-violent cynicism that was starting to take over the box office. Instead, it gave us Tom Berenger in a cowboy hat and Barbara Hershey looking for a lost tribe in the Montana wilderness. It’s a "what if" story. What if a small group of Cheyenne warriors—the legendary Dog Soldiers—escaped the Sand Creek Massacre of 1864 and just... vanished? Not into death, but into the deep, inaccessible folds of the Oxbow Quadrangle.
It sounds like a tall tale. It is. But the way writer-director Tab Murphy handled the material made people want to believe it.
Most critics at the time were kind of lukewarm. They called it "earnest" or "old-fashioned." Maybe it was. But if you watch it now, there’s a sincerity that’s basically extinct in modern filmmaking. It’s a movie about the intersection of history and myth, and how we desperately want to find something "pure" left in a world that’s been paved over and strip-mined.
The Mystery of the Oxbow Quadrangle
The plot kicks off with Lewis Gates. He’s a bounty hunter. He’s a mess. He drinks too much, he’s grieving his wife, and he’s stuck in a small town where everyone knows his business. When three escaped convicts disappear into the Montana wilderness, Gates is sent to track them down. What he finds isn't bodies or tracks. He finds a scrap of a primitive arrow.
This is where the movie gets smart. It brings in Lillian Sloan, played by Barbara Hershey. She’s an anthropologist. She’s the one who provides the historical backbone that keeps the story from floating off into total fantasy. She explains the Dogmen.
In real history, the Dog Soldiers (Hotamétaneo'o) were one of the six military societies of the Cheyenne people. They were the elite. The fiercest. They were known for "pinning" themselves to the ground during battle with a "dog rope," essentially vowing to die before retreating. In the film, a group of these warriors supposedly survived the massacre and retreated into a canyon that shouldn't exist.
🔗 Read more: Jack Blocker American Idol Journey: What Most People Get Wrong
Why the Film Works (When it Probably Shouldn't)
Let’s be real. The "Lost World" trope is dangerous. It can get cheesy fast. It can be accidentally (or purposefully) offensive. But The Last of the Dogmen manages to dodge the worst of the "Noble Savage" cliches by focusing on the isolation and the sheer logistical impossibility of their survival.
The chemistry between Berenger and Hershey is key. It’s not a whirlwind romance. It’s two professionals—one cynical, one academic—slowly realizing that their world is much bigger than they thought. Berenger plays Gates with a rugged, tired quality. He’s not a superhero. He gets hurt. He gets scared.
And then there's the dog. Zip.
Zip is an Australian Cattle Dog, and honestly, he’s the best actor in the movie. He’s the one who first senses that they aren’t alone in the woods. There’s something deeply human about the way the film treats the relationship between Gates and his dog. It adds a layer of groundedness. Without Zip, the movie might feel too much like a lecture on Cheyenne history. With him, it feels like a hike through the woods that went sideways.
The Production Struggles and the 1990s Context
Making this movie wasn't easy. They filmed in the Canadian Rockies and various parts of Mexico. They needed that "untouched" look, which is surprisingly hard to find. Tab Murphy, who wrote the screenplay for Tarzan and The Hunchback of Notre Dame, was making his directorial debut here. You can tell he loves the material.
💡 You might also like: Why American Beauty by the Grateful Dead is Still the Gold Standard of Americana
It was released by Savoy Pictures. They were a mid-major studio that eventually went belly-up. Because of that, the movie didn't get the massive marketing push it needed to compete with the blockbusters of 1995. It became a "VHS classic." It’s the kind of movie you’d find on a dusty shelf in a Blockbuster and think, "Yeah, I’ll give this a shot," and then end up watching it five times.
Fact vs. Fiction: The Real Dog Soldiers
It's important to separate the movie's magic from the actual history of the Cheyenne. The real Dog Soldiers were real people. They were a political and military force. They didn't just disappear into a magical canyon; they fought a desperate, losing war to keep their land.
- The Sand Creek Massacre: This was a real, horrific event in 1864 where U.S. troops attacked a village of Cheyenne and Arapaho.
- The Oxbow Quadrangle: This is a fictional geographic location for the film, though it's inspired by the rugged terrain of the Bob Marshall Wilderness in Montana.
- Cultural Representation: The film used real Native American actors and consultants, which was a step up from the Westerns of the 1950s, though it still looks through a distinctly Western lens.
The movie isn't a documentary. It’s a fable. It’s about the idea of survival against all odds.
A Visual Style That Doesn't Age
Karl Walter Lindenlaub was the cinematographer. He’s the guy who shot Independence Day and Stargate. You can see that "big movie" energy in how he shoots the mountains. He uses wide shots that make the humans look tiny. It reinforces the theme: nature is big, and we are small.
The score by David Arnold is another high point. It’s sweeping. It’s grand. It makes a scene of a man looking at a footprint feel like an epic discovery. This kind of "bigness" is what’s missing from a lot of modern streaming movies that feel like they were shot on a soundstage with a green screen. The Last of the Dogmen feels cold. It feels wet. You can almost smell the pine needles.
📖 Related: Why October London Make Me Wanna Is the Soul Revival We Actually Needed
Why People Still Search for This Movie
There is a specific kind of nostalgia for 90s Westerns. Dances with Wolves started the trend, but The Last of the Dogmen took it in a more "adventure-thriller" direction. People search for it because it represents a type of storytelling that doesn't exist anymore—the mid-budget, high-concept, adult-oriented adventure.
It also taps into a universal human desire: the hope that there are still secrets in the world. In an age of Google Earth and GPS, the idea that a group of people could live undetected in the mountains for 130 years is comforting. It suggests that we haven't mapped everything. It suggests mystery still exists.
Actionable Insights for Fans and New Viewers
If you’re looking to dive back into this world or experience it for the first time, here is how to get the most out of it:
- Watch the Widescreen Version: Avoid the old "Pan and Scan" versions if you can find them. The cinematography is half the experience.
- Research the Cheyenne: After watching, read up on the actual Cheyenne military societies. The real history of the Dog Soldiers is arguably more fascinating than the film’s version. The Fighting Cheyennes by George Bird Grinnell is a classic source.
- Check Out Tab Murphy’s Other Work: If you like the "man vs. nature" or "lost civilization" themes, look at his writing credits. He has a very specific voice that shows up in Atlantis: The Lost Empire.
- Look for the Details: Keep an eye on the costumes and the "found" artifacts in the film. The production team spent a lot of time trying to make the Dogmen’s gear look like it had evolved in isolation using 19th-century methods.
The Last of the Dogmen isn't a perfect movie, but it is a soulful one. It’s a reminder that sometimes the best stories aren't the ones that explain everything, but the ones that leave you looking at the mountains and wondering what's on the other side.
The ending of the film—which I won't spoil for the uninitiated—is divisive. Some find it too convenient. Others find it hauntingly beautiful. But regardless of where you land, you won't forget the image of those riders appearing out of the mist. It stays with you. It’s a piece of 90s cinema that deserves a spot on your "rainy Sunday afternoon" watchlist.
To truly appreciate the film's legacy, compare it to modern survivalist cinema. While today's films focus on the brutality of nature, this movie focuses on the spirituality of it. It’s a different vibe entirely. If you want to find a copy today, you’ll likely have to hunt through secondary markets or specialized streaming services, as it hasn't seen a massive 4K remaster yet. That’s almost fitting. Like the Dogmen themselves, the movie is a bit hidden, waiting for someone to go looking for it.
Next Steps for the Viewer:
- Locate a high-definition digital copy or a physical Blu-ray of the film to appreciate the Lindenlaub cinematography.
- Read "The Cheyenne Indians: Their History and Ways of Life" to contrast the cinematic Dog Soldiers with the historical Hotamétaneo'o.
- Explore the filming locations in the Kootenay National Park area to see the real-world terrain that stood in for the Oxbow Quadrangle.