areatw 'Dances with Wolves' is a good example of how far a simple story can go. This slow-burning, low-key Western is a heartwarming tale of friendship and loyalty. It's a film with a purpose and a big heart. The focus on plot and character development is always refreshing to see and the stunning scenery and cinematography make it a pleasure to watch.While the film has a lot going for it, there are a few noticeable weak spots. I can't help but feel Kevin Costner is more comfortable behind the camera directing than on screen. While his performance in this film is okay, a better actor would have done Dunbar's character more justice. There's also the excessive running time, which is felt at times due to the slow nature of the film. That said, these are only minor points in what is a special and memorable film.

abraham-59605 This is simply a masterpiece. The story of an outsider joining a indigenous community is not a new one, but this would have to be the greatest iteration of that tale. How Kevin Coaster pulled off directing, producing and starring in such a big film is amazing. The epic canvas that this period film is set is so beautifully captured by Dean Semler's cinematography and enhanced by the music of John Barry. I have seen the film no less than a dozen times. A must for high definition viewing.

Hitchcoc The opening scene in this film is gut wrenching. Men who have suffered on the Civil War battlefield, and having their limbs chopped off to save their lives (maybe). Kevin Costner's Dunbar is one of these and he takes off at the risk of his life before they can do this. In the process, he becomes a hero for risking his life in a charge (pretty much an accident because of random luck). He is given an opportunity to choose his next assignment and ends up on the central plains. He survives, living off what is there, and eventually meets up with Lakota tribesmen. What this movie tells us is the fact that the West is going to be gone; the Native Americans are going to be shoved aside. He is integrated into the tribe and finds there a white woman who was taken in when her parents died. He "becomes" a tribe member. This is a story about human beings and their spirit and gets away from the clichés of the Western movie. Costner is fantastic in his role.

SquigglyCrunch Dances with Wolves follows a soldier who is posted in a largely isolated outpost and ultimately befriends the natives living in the area. The actors are all pretty good in their roles. Kevin Costner does really well, although for the first 10 or so minutes he just wanders around with his mouth open as if confused. He sort of portrayed my feelings for the first bit. I had no idea what was going on until a little ways into the movie. Graham Greene and Rodney A. Grant were both quite good in their roles as well, as as much as Costner but pretty close. Mary McDonnell was kind of over-the-top in this role, and while her performance wasn't bad, it wasn't great either. She seemed to be trying to pull off some kind of overdone insanity performance, but it didn't work in the context of the movie or just as a performance overall. The characters are pretty interesting, and it's really cool to see their relationships develop over a long period of time. By the last 1/3 of the movie the audience feels really attached to the characters, and it becomes just that much more investing. And considering the last hour is the best, it gives it a much more effective ending. The movie is, however, 3 hours long, the first 2 of which are the development stages. While it isn't necessarily boring, it's very long and definitely on the slow side. It was needed for the last hour to have the effect that it did, but it probably could have been just a little more engaging, or shorter even. The romantic aspect wasn't something I was very fond of. It came off as very rushed and a little forced, like it was happening simply because that was the expectation for movies. It seems that filmmakers sometimes think that if it's worth seeing, it has a love interest. That seems to be the case a lot of the time, but that doesn't mean that it always works. And in this case it doesn't really. Overall Dances with Wolves is an engaging character study that suffers from being on the slow side for the majority of it's runtime and a forced romance. In the end I'd still recommend this movie.