Parents need to know that this movie is extremely violent. Battle scenes and ambushes comprise a large portion of the film. There are numerous scenes of gun fights, as well as stabbings and bludgeonings. One man is burned alive. Another is scalped. A woman commits suicide. The film also features a romantic theme, and while sexual content is extremely mild and there is no nudity, there is some heated kissing.

Families can talk about the United States' colonial history and the French and Indian War. Issues of class are also ripe for discussion. The film seems to imply that the British are destined for failure because they refuse to protect the people living at the frontier. Hawkeye says that the reason people live in unprotected frontier lands is that these areas are the only place where land is available to poor people. How might his observation about the frontier apply to modern communities? What prompts Cora Munro to fight with her father about sending the militia to help protect frontier settlers?