817. Dances with Wolves (1990)

Running Time: 181 minutes
Directed By: Kevin Costner
Written By: Michael Blake, from his novel
Main Cast: Kevin Costner, Mary McDonnell, Graham Greene, Rodney A. Grant, Floyd Red Crow Westerman

INDIAN SUMMER

I hadn't seen "Dances with Wolves" in ages, before today, and after watching and slightly enjoying it, it is still hard to believe that this is the film that beat out "Goodfellas" for a Best Picture win. More so, it is hard to believe that Costner won a directing award, especially when he was nominated in the same category as Martin Scorsese.

The movie starts smack dab in the American Civil War, as Lt. John J. Dunbar (Costner) is, seemingly, about to have his leg amputated. He manages to get up and ride through the plain on a suicide mission, between soldiers of the north and south. He manages to escape with his life and his actions rally the Union soldiers, getting Dunbar recognized as a hero. His reward - he can have his choice of any post that he wants. Dunbar requests a transfer to the western frontier, where he dreams of seeing the western plains, before they cease to exist. He arrives at Fort Sedgwick and finds that it has been abandoned and is nothing more than a desolate shack. Dunbar decides to stay and try to make the most of it, taking his new assignment very seriously and trying to make the most of his new post. Dunbar begins to keep a record of his thoughts in a journal, which we hear by way of Costner narration. Dunbar soon realizes that he's not alone on the plains, as he encounters a tribe of Sioux Indians. At first he is terrified of them, but quickly realizes that they are of no harm to him and decides that he will make friends with his new neighbors. After many visits and encounters with the Sioux, where they share in each other's cultures (Dunbar introduces the Sioux to sugar, and is in turn introduced to many of the customs of the Sioux). The main Sioux tribe members that Dunbar befriends are Kicking Bird (Greene) and Wind in His Hair (Grant), and later Stands with A Fist (McDonnell), who acts as a translator between the white man and the Sioux, as she is really a white woman, taking refuge with the Sioux tribe. Now Dunbar (who is dubbed Dances with Wolves due to the friendship that he strikes up with a lone wolf on the prairie named Two-Socks) and the Sioux can freely communicate with each other, hunt buffalo together and battle the rival Indian tribe, the Pawnee. Dunbar becomes great friends with the Sioux, learning their language and eventually marrying Stands with A Fist. But all is not well when word of the coming of the white man comes.

In my opinion, the movie is very plain (no pun intended). The film itself isn't great, nor is it bad. The length wasn't an issue for me either, as the three hour running time seemed to flow along quite nicely and there was never a time where I was watching the clock or hoping for it to end. The cinematography was pretty brilliant, but nothing that you wouldn't expect from a 1990s western and cinematographer Dean Semler did a fine job capturing the look and feel of the old western frontier. The relationship that is struck up between Dunbar and Stands with A Fist, pales in comparison to the heterosexual relationship that is formed between Dunbar and Kicking Bird and their final farewell at the end of the film is a nice, sincere moment. I've always enjoyed stories that explored the idea of finding friendship in the unlikeliest of places, and this is that kind of a story, as Union soldier Dunbar befriends an entire tribe of Sioux Indians. I'll even go as far as to say that the character development was pretty fleshed out too, as Dunbar was a deep character and Costner's narration adds to that deepness. Instead of getting one or two members of the Sioux tribe to focus in on, we're actually introduced to many of them, although some are more relevant than others.

With all of those good things being said, I still stand by the opinion, that nothing really stood out or screamed "great movie" to me. Everything was pretty mediocre and only really mildly enjoyable. There are no outstanding scenes, in my opinion and everything just seems to glide along that imaginary rail of mediocrity. The acting - average, the story - average, the score -a little bit better than average, but again, seemed to be just right for an epic western and nothing outstanding or anything. Pretty average film in my view folks, and I guess I'll stop repeating that sentiment and end it there.

RATING: 6/10 Not bad, not great. We'll leave it at that.

MOVIES WATCHED: 172
MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 829

October 26, 2010 7:02pm