Dances With Wolves (1990)

Dances With Wolves sees the Lakota through the eyes of a white Union officer who learns their ways faster than seems possible, and the movie never really steps outside that frame. That’s the honest limit. It’s also a sincere, beautiful film. Kevin Costner lets long stretches play in the Lakota language with subtitles, and Dunbar’s neighbors come across as real people with opinions, jokes and arguments of their own. Graham Greene’s Kicking Bird is the soul of it, curious and careful. Rodney A. Grant’s Wind In His Hair goes from shouting at Dunbar to standing beside him, and every step feels earned. The buffalo hunt is a jaw-dropper. At 181 minutes, the romance with Mary McDonnell’s Stands With A Fist moves slowly, and the Union soldiers are drawn as cartoon villains. It made $424.2 million worldwide on a reported $22M. A 7.9 because the craft and the respect are real, even if the point of view is narrow. $311.88 says you look up from your phone during the prairie shots and forget to look back down.

What works: Graham Greene’s warm, thoughtful Kicking Bird, the long Lakota-language scenes and the huge prairie photography, especially the buffalo hunt.

What doesn’t: The story still runs through the white soldier’s eyes, and the 181-minute pace lets the romance and the final act drag.

Who it’s for: Anyone with a free evening who wants a big, patient western about friendship across cultures.