Dances With Wolves




Turned injun, didn't yeh?

During a Civil War battle, Captain John Dunbar (Kevin Costner) instantly becomes an accidental hero when his suicidal charge leads the Union to a victory. For that he gets to pick whatever post he wants, so he decides to be reassigned to the American frontier. There he's alone, but he quickly becomes friends with the local Indians. Soon, he begins to feel more comfortable with them than at his own post. Can you spell AWOL?

Dances With Wolves was Kevin Costner's first foray into directing, and it paid off remarkably with a score of Oscars. Unfortunately Costner hasn't done much in the mean time (some fifteen years). This remains his most soulful film to date.

Slowly and thoughtfully paced, the film moves with methodical deliberation. The friendship between Dunbar and the Indians grows slowly but surely. It is one of the most enduring traits of the film, having just the right amount of momentum, frustration and humor. This is symbolized by his friendship with another local, a wary but friendly wolf. There is much symbolism of a similar sort spread throughout the movie.

A lot of memorable and stirring scenes make their way into the drawn out running time. Moments that are heart breaking and moments that send shivers up your back all give this movie emotion that it might not have had otherwise. This film remains what it is because of its simple but effective story. The Indians are painted in a sympathetic manner contrary to most perceived stereotypes. Of course tragedy will follow, and that's what gives it the required weight.

However, sometimes it seems like the story is too busy making the Sioux the nice Indians that it has to dump all the unpleasantries else where. Many critics complain about the army as being overbearing, but I could easy believe what happens. The Pawnee however, another Indian tribe, get it just about as bad. This is not a complete negative as there are obvious exceptions, but the story frequently opts to take the easy way out. I mean, how many times does Dunbar get knocked unconscious throughout the movie?

Costner is low key and thoughtful as Capt. Dunbar, a somewhat deeper man than many of his fellows. His direction is steady and he manages to turn in an excellent performance on top of it. Mary McDonnell makes up for lacking drop-dead good looks, usually required for such roles, by giving her character the right amount of reluctance and soul.

This movie is an intelligent and sorrow filled look at the decline of the Great Plains civilization.



-The Gnome