Wounded Civil War soldier John Dunbar tries to commit suicide—and becomes a hero instead. As a reward, he's assigned to his dream post, a remote junction on the Western frontier, and soon makes unlikely friends with the local Sioux tribe.
| Tagline | Inside everyone is a frontier waiting to be discovered. |
| Release Date: | Mar 30, 1990 |
| Genres: | Adventure, Drama, Western |
| Production Company: | Tig Productions, Majestic Films International, Allied Filmmakers |
| Production Countries: | United Kingdom, United States of America |
| Casts: | Kevin Costner, Mary McDonnell, Graham Greene, Rodney A. Grant, Floyd "Red Crow" Westerman, Tantoo Cardinal, Robert Pastorelli, Charles Rocket, Maury Chaykin, Jimmy Herman, Nathan Lee Chasing Horse |
| Status: | Released |
| Budget: | $22000000 |
| Revenue: | 424208848 |
One of my all-time favorite movies. I can't begin to remember how many times I've seen it. And I'll watch it again. Kevin Costner gives a compelling performance, but so does the entire cast. One gets a great sense of who the Lakota were and are. Respect.
I watched the extended version of this film, and I just have to say, any film that can run for FOUR HOURS and not come out the other end as a boring pile of garbage, is worthy of some pretty serious praise. That said, _Dances with Wolves_ is not really in my wheelhouse, and although it held my attention I can't see myself probably ever watching it again. Costner knows what he's about, and that's great, but a four-hour film about American history with strong romance elements is never going to blow me away. _Final rating:★★★ - I liked it. Would personally recommend you give it a go._
There are two actor of recent years that I really struggle with. One is Tom Hanks, the other is Kevin Costner. His monotonic narrative as he conveys this story via his journal makes this otherwise breathtakingly beautiful story frequently a real plod. He is "Lt. Dunbar" who after a very close shave with the Confederate troops during the US Civil War is posted to a far outpost where he finds himself living a solitary existence with only a wolf ("Two Socks") for company. That is until a passing warrior gets a glimpse of him at his bath and runs a mile. What now ensues is a gently paced story depicting his developing relationship with his neighbouring Sioux tribe. This film features a memorable John Barry score to accompany some fine cinematography, and the efforts from Graham Greene ("Kicking Bird") and a slew of other native American actors is excellent. It's just Kevin. He was the power being the production, and certainly had some skill directing it - but his acting... It is so soporific. He simply doesn't convey well the senses of loneliness, fear and joy that his character experiences as he gradually becomes subsumed into a new - sometimes rather brutal - identity. The story demonstrates and exposes the prevailing attitudes of both cultures towards the other, of their suspicions and mistrust - and were the "Dunbar" role to have been portrayed by a more heavyweight screen presence, then we could have had a memorable movie rather than just a long one. It is still good, though - just could have been doing with more oomph from the star.
