I watched the extended version of this film, and I just have to say, any film that can run for FOUR HOURS and not come out the other end as a boring pile of garbage, is worthy of some pretty serious praise. That said, _Dances with Wolves_ is not really in my wheelhouse, and although it held my attention I can't see myself probably ever watching it again. Costner knows what he's about, and that's great, but a four-hour film about American history with strong romance elements is never going to blow me away.

_Final rating:★★★ - I liked it. Would personally recommend you give it a go._

I've seen _Dances with Wolves_ for the first time in cinema before it got all the accolades. I didn't knew much about it and wasn't even aware of the nominations. To put it frank, the main reason I went into it was it had the longest running time of all the movies. The most bang for the buck if you will.
I was completely blown away by the cinematography, the beautiful scenery and I was taken in by the story and deeply touched by the emotional impact. I didn't notice the three hours and I didn't mind at all having to read half of the dialogue. Everything falls together perfectly. This movie delivered on a level that very few movies did in the past, or do today. I consider this to be one of the greatest movies of all time. I am not giving it a definitive rank but it belongs in that category.
It still is an immensely powerful movie both in picture and in word. It is timeless, sadly I must add, in its topic. Althought this is about the Native Americans it works equally well in general terms. We all must learn to understand and accept each other for otherwise nothing will change.

One of my all-time favorite movies. I can't begin to remember how many times I've seen it. And I'll watch it again. Kevin Costner gives a compelling performance, but so does the entire cast. One gets a great sense of who the Lakota were and are. Respect.

There are two actor of recent years that I really struggle with. One is Tom Hanks, the other is Kevin Costner. His monotonic narrative as he conveys this story via his journal makes this otherwise breathtakingly beautiful story frequently a real plod. He is "Lt. Dunbar" who after a very close shave with the Confederate troops during the US Civil War is posted to a far outpost where he finds himself living a solitary existence with only a wolf ("Two Socks") for company. That is until a passing warrior gets a glimpse of him at his bath and runs a mile. What now ensues is a gently paced story depicting his developing relationship with his neighbouring Sioux tribe. This film features a memorable John Barry score to accompany some fine cinematography, and the efforts from Graham Greene ("Kicking Bird") and a slew of other native American actors is excellent. It's just Kevin. He was the power being the production, and certainly had some skill directing it - but his acting... It is so soporific. He simply doesn't convey well the senses of loneliness, fear and joy that his character experiences as he gradually becomes subsumed into a new - sometimes rather brutal - identity. The story demonstrates and exposes the prevailing attitudes of both cultures towards the other, of their suspicions and mistrust - and were the "Dunbar" role to have been portrayed by a more heavyweight screen presence, then we could have had a memorable movie rather than just a long one. It is still good, though - just could have been doing with more oomph from the star.