Dances With Wolves

Play trailer

Dances With Wolves

PG-13

1990

3h 0m

History

Drama

Western

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

87%

Tomatometer

132 Reviews

87%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

A Civil War soldier develops a relationship with a band of Lakota Indians. Attracted by the simplicity of their lifestyle, he chooses to leave his former life behind to be with them. Having observed him, they give the name Dances With Wolves. Soon he is a welcomed member of the tribe and falls in love with a white woman who has been raised in the tribe. Tragedy results when Union soldiers arrive with designs on the land.

Watch on Fandango

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

Dances with Wolves suffers from a simplistic view of the culture it attempts to honor, but the end result remains a stirring western whose noble intentions are often matched by its epic grandeur.

Read Critics Reviews

Pauline Kael

The New Yorker

11/08/2022

This epic was made by a bland megalomaniac (The Indians should have named him "Plays with Camera"). You look at that untroubled face and know he can make everything lightweight.

Go to Full Review

Bob Thomas

Associated Press

11/08/2022

Even with its flaws, Dances With Wolves is cause for celebration, a haunting elegy to the end of the Great Plains wilderness.

Go to Full Review

Bob Fenster

Arizona Republic

11/08/2022

5/5

It's difficult for any actor to direct himself effectively. It's amazing when someone does it in an epic that turns out as fine as this tale of the Old West.

Go to Full Review

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

10/10/2024

4/4

Forever known (and, in some circles, vilified) as The Movie That Beat GoodFellas For The Best Picture Oscar, Costner’s commercial and critical smash has seen its reputation diminish over the years -- an unfortunate development for a truly exemplary film.

Go to Full Review

Mark Johnson

Awards Daily

06/14/2023

An exquisitely shot Western epic with majestic landscapes detailing the crimes against indigenous people and the final years of the American West.

Go to Full Review

Bruce R. Miller

Sioux City Journal

11/08/2022

4/4

Dances With Wolves is Costner's crossroads. Amazingly, he emerges from it a better actor and an extremely good director.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Christina D

@NinaNinaBobina 4d

One of the all-time best western movies!

See more

Amy M

@RT20448805 Aug 10

Excellent movie. Everyone should see it

See more

Wayne F

@wfisher Aug 9

A dull slog with a wooden performance from Costner.

See more

Diogo D

@diogodantas Aug 2

I remember going to the cinema. And really liked it. But now I'm old and can't stand more than 5 minutes.

See more

Robert H

@Rwhobbs198 Aug 1

Dances with Wolves is a true classic and one of Kevin Costner's finest performances. Whether every aspect of the story is historically accurate or not, it captures the spirit of the American frontier in a way that very few films ever have. The vast plains, the isolation of frontier life, and the evolving relationship between Lieutenant Dunbar and the Lakota create a thoughtful, immersive experience rather than a typical Western. It is undeniably long and deliberately paced, but that's exactly what allows you to feel the passage of time in the lonely cabin and witness the fading of the Old West before it disappears forever. Beautifully filmed, emotionally powerful, and deeply memorable, this remains one of my favorite movies of the genre and a landmark in the history of the Western.

See more

D S

@DSONDOR Aug 1

I write this decades after Dances With Wolves first appeared and swept the Oscars. Many people have changed their minds about it which I find interesting. Nothing ages so well as a classic with political overtones. Having had the pleasure of working with Kevin on a movie and watched him work, I fell in love with this movie when it came out. Costner, McDonnell, Greene, Grant, and the rest were at their finest. Given any amount of time to pass and everything has rough edges that could be sanded but Dances is the kind of movie you can watch repeatedly, which I have done once a decade or so. Thank you, Kevin for making an epic, warts and all.

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

POST RATING

Kevin Costner

Director

Kevin Costner

Lieutenant John Dunbar

Mary McDonnell

Stands With a Fist

Graham Greene

Kicking Bird

Rodney A. Grant

Wind in His Hair

Floyd "Red Crow" Westerman

Ten Bears

Geronimo: An American Legend

52%

52%

Geronimo: An American Legend

Watchlist

1492: Conquest of Paradise

30%

50%

1492: Conquest of Paradise

Watchlist

Jefferson in Paris

33%

36%

Jefferson in Paris

Watchlist

Henry V

98%

89%

Henry V

Watchlist

Wild Flower

57%

55%

Wild Flower

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

John David Washington’s Five Favorite Films

Kevin Costner’s 10 Best Movies

How Does "The Departed" Rank Among Oscar’s Best?

View more photos

Synopsis

A Civil War soldier develops a relationship with a band of Lakota Indians. Attracted by the simplicity of their lifestyle, he chooses to leave his former life behind to be with them. Having observed him, they give the name Dances With Wolves. Soon he is a welcomed member of the tribe and falls in love with a white woman who has been raised in the tribe. Tragedy results when Union soldiers arrive with designs on the land.

Director: Kevin Costner
Producer: Kevin Costner, Jim Wilson
Screenwriter: Michael Blake
Distributor: Image Entertainment Inc., Orion Pictures, MGM/UA Home Entertainment Inc.
Production Co: Majestic Film, Tig Productions
Rating: PG-13
Genre: History, Drama, Western
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 21, 1990, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 29, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $184.0M
Runtime: 3h 0m
Sound Mix: Dolby SR, Dolby Digital, Surround
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

Join The Newsletter

Join The Newsletter

Cookie Settings