Rating of
3/4
"Dances With Wolves" by Yojimbo
Yojimbo - wrote on 03/25/12
Kevin Costner stars as a cavalry lieutenant sick of war who volunteers to serve in an isolated frontier outpost where he learns to understand the culture of the indigenous native American settlement. Before he let his ego run away with him, Costner actually made a few pretty decent films. Although this is obviously a very romanticized view of the west, where the Sioux are a nation of saints and even the wolves are tamer than Lassie, it is a very creditable addition to the tradition of the great American western. At its core is a message of understanding and tolerance, and the best scenes involve Costner's growing respect and friendship for Sioux holy man Graham Greene. It has a gentle and sometimes humorous, easy going approach and a wild haired Mary McDonnell makes a much more believeable love interest than the kind of adolescent wannabe supermodel that usually gets cast in these kind of parts. It loses its way a little towards the end as the clumsy demonization of his fellow soldiers undermines rather than adds to the message and it tries to tug a little too hard at the heart strings, but as a whole it's a well paced and well meaning tale that always engages.
