Review of Dances with Wolves (1990) by Daniel V — 16 Sep 2014

Kevin Costner's masterpiece although Robin Hood, JFK, No Way Out, and The Untouchables rank higher on my list. But man, this is a good movie. Slow at times but engaging even during those slow moments.

Costner and Graham Greene give the performances of their careers and the gorgeous cinematography instantly transports you to the American Frontier during the Civil War. A time when the 'white man' was making his way across country.

Luckily for the natives, the Civil War slowed that progress a bit. But as John Dunbar aka Dances With Wolves tells his new friend Kicking Bird, They are coming and there is a whole lot of them. Basically this is just Avatar in the old west.

There is a "Director's Cut' which is 4 hours long. Now I do recommend this version because I think it fleshes out the characters better but it should be viewed as a miniseries. Watch one half one night, 2nd half the next.

It is worth it, of course I happen to love epics. And yeah, this is definitely an epic.