Dances with Wolves (1990) movie poster

Dances with Wolves (1990)

"Inside everyone is a frontier waiting to be discovered."
ThumbScore
👍 91%Google users liked it ⓘ
Critics Score
🎬 80%
AdventureDramaWestern

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Where to Watch

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Director
Runtime
3h 1m
Rated
PG-13
Country
United Kingdom, United States of America
Language
English
TMDB Rating
7.8/10 (4,609 votes)
Rotten Tomatoes
87%
Metacritic
72

Cast

Kevin Costner as Lieutenant Dunbar · 75% avg
Mary McDonnell as Stands With A Fist · 75% avg
Graham Greene as Kicking Bird · 73% avg
Rodney A. Grant as Wind In His Hair
Tantoo Cardinal as Black Shawl · 69% avg
Robert Pastorelli as Timmons · 75% avg
Charles Rocket as Lieutenant Elgin · 73% avg

Is Dances with Wolves good?

Yes. 91% of real audiences liked it, by Google's archived audience score. Critics gave it 80%.

Where it ranks on ThumbScore

By audience score, among films with 500 or more votes.

Overview

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. Wikipedia ↗

About the Film

Dances with Wolves is a 1990 American epic Western directed by and starring Kevin Costner as Lieutenant John Dunbar, a Civil War hero who requests a posting at the furthest outpost on the Western frontier. Arriving at an abandoned Fort Sedgwick on the Great Plains, Dunbar gradually establishes a relationship with a neighboring band of Lakota Sioux, learning their language and customs, falling in love with a white woman raised by the tribe named Stands With A Fist, played by Mary McDonnell, and eventually being adopted into the tribe as "Dances with Wolves." The film was Kevin Costner's directorial debut and one of the most ambitious independent productions in American cinema — Costner financed much of the $22 million budget himself after studios balked at a three-hour Western with subtitled Lakota dialogue. Dances with Wolves won seven Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Director, revitalizing the Western genre after a decade of dormancy.

The film used actual Lakota language — with Doris Leader Charge as language consultant and several Lakota actors in key roles — and its sympathetic portrayal of Native Americans was considered groundbreaking for mainstream Hollywood. Dances with Wolves earned $424 million worldwide.

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What Reddit Thinks

r/movies
⬆ 20,703💬 769 comments
Graham Greene Dies: Oscar-Nominated ‘Dances With Wolves’ Actor Was 73
Top comment: "He was a pioneer for indigenous actors, especially in Canada. RIP"
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