Two things the movie did better than the book was changing Magua's motivation from one about bringing Firewater into his village and into revenge for his children's murder and his wife taking another husband. The other was Chingachchook killing him rather than Hawkeye. Much more emotionally satisfying especially after his own sons death.

You maybe right about Daniel Day Lewis, sadly though the same can't be said for Madeline Stowe, her accent seemed to slip in and out. Besides shouldn't she have had a Scottish accent anyway 🤔