Where to watch
Each link opens a search on that service. Checked 13 October 2026.
Streaming data from JustWatch
Dances with Wolves
1990
· Movie
· 181 min
A
MEANRANK
81/100
Where it ranks
- Mean Score #457
- IMDb #315
- Google retired #395
- Rotten Tomatoes #875
- Metacritic #869
- Letterboxd #709
+9 more
- Rotten Tomatoes Critics #1359
- Rotten Tomatoes Audience #875
- Metacritic Critics #1316
- Metacritic Audience #407
- Criticker #778
- Douban #105
- Kinopoisk #165
- AlloCiné #99
- Trakt #459
Every rating
60–94
out of 100
A disillusioned Union soldier requests a posting to the remote western frontier. He finds an abandoned outpost and slowly befriends a nearby Sioux tribe. He learns their language and customs, earning their trust and the name Dances with Wolves. He develops a deep respect for their culture and way of life, finding a sense of purpose he never had in the white world.
Details
- Director
- Kevin Costner
- Writer
- Michael Blake
- Released
- 9 November 1990
- Country
- United Kingdom, United States
- Language
- English, Sioux, Pawnee
- Runtime
- 181 min
- Rated
- PG-13
- Budget
- $22.0M
- Box office
- $424.2M
- Awards
- 36 wins, 25 nominations
This title elsewhere
Cast
Full cast (52) →
Awards & nominations
See all 61 →16 major awards won · 36 wins from 61 nominations across 30 ceremonies
| Grammy Awards 1992 | Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media | John Barry | Winner |
| Academy Awards 1991 | Best Sound | Russell Williams, Jeffrey Perkins, Bill W. Benton, and Gregory H. Watkins | Winner |
| Academy Awards 1991 | Best Picture | Jim Wilson and Kevin Costner | Winner |
| Academy Awards 1991 | Best Director | Kevin Costner | Winner |
| Academy Awards 1991 | Best Adapted Screenplay | Michael Blake | Winner |
| Academy Awards 1991 | Best Cinematography | Dean Semler | Winner |
| Academy Awards 1991 | Best Film Editing | Neil Travis | Winner |
| Academy Awards 1991 | Best Original Score | John Barry | Winner |
Awards from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA.
More like this
Beyond the numbers
All lists →
29 October 2026
Five great TV scores—and the scenes that explain why
Twin Peaks, Succession, Game of Thrones, Westworld and Stranger Things, judged for what their original music does inside the drama.
8 October 2026
Leonardo DiCaprio's films, ranked—and the performances inside them
Twenty-one selected films, with a closer look at the acting: comic timing, self-invention, wounded authority and the effort that sometimes shows.
30 September 2026
The most popular film genres? What the ratings actually show
Drama leads the total, but volume, a typical film’s attention and average score tell different stories.
29 September 2026
Films rated 4.7 on Google: a 59-film archive
A historical selection, with a closer look at spectacle, sequels and what a high audience average leaves out.
16 September 2026
The r/TrueFilm canon's top twenty, from the 2018 poll
A historical community ranking, with new viewing notes and a closer look at the taste it records.
30 October 2026
Why Meryl Streep is the greatest actress of all time
The case rests on comedy, emotional precision, versatility and sustained achievement, tested against the strongest rival claims.
Just released
See all →
Coming soon
Trailer — Dances with Wolves
×Full cast — Dances with Wolves
×
61 awards — Dances with Wolves
×
Academy Awards
12 nominations, 7 won
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Michael Blake | Winner |
| Best Cinematography | Dean Semler | Winner |
| Best Director | Kevin Costner | Winner |
| Best Film Editing | Neil Travis | Winner |
| Best Original Score | John Barry | Winner |
| Best Picture | Jim Wilson and Kevin Costner | Winner |
| Best Sound | Russell Williams, Jeffrey Perkins, Bill W. Benton, and Gregory H. Watkins | Winner |
| Best Actor | Kevin Costner | Nominee |
| Best Art Direction | Jeffrey Beecroft and Lisa Dean | Nominee |
| Best Costume Design | Elsa Zamparelli | Nominee |
| Best Supporting Actor | Graham Greene | Nominee |
| Best Supporting Actress | Mary McDonnell | Nominee |
Golden Globe Awards
6 nominations, 3 won
| Best Director | Kevin Costner | Winner |
| Best Motion Picture – Drama | Dances With Wolves | Winner |
| Best Screenplay | Michael Blake | Winner |
| Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama | Kevin Costner | Nominee |
| Best Original Score | John Barry | Nominee |
| Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture | Mary McDonnell | Nominee |
Berlin International Film Festival
1 nomination, 1 won
| Silver Bear for Outstanding Single Achievement | Kevin Costner | Winner |
Directors Guild of America Awards
1 nomination, 1 won
| Outstanding Directing – Feature Film | Kevin Costner | Winner |
Grammy Awards
1 nomination, 1 won
| Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media | John Barry | Winner |
Independent Spirit Awards
1 nomination, 1 won
| Special Distinction Award | Jim Wilson and Kevin Costner | Winner |
Producers Guild of America Awards
1 nomination, 1 won
| Best Theatrical Motion Picture | Jim Wilson and Kevin Costner | Winner |
Writers Guild of America Awards
1 nomination, 1 won
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Michael Blake | Winner |
BAFTA Awards
9 nominations
| Best Actor in a Leading Role | Kevin Costner | Nominee |
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Michael Blake | Nominee |
| Best Cinematography | Dean Semler | Nominee |
| Best Direction | Kevin Costner | Nominee |
| Best Editing | Neil Travis | Nominee |
| Best Film | Jim Wilson and Kevin Costner | Nominee |
| Best Film Music | John Barry | Nominee |
| Best Makeup and Hair | Francisco X. Pérez | Nominee |
| Best Sound | Russell Williams, Jeffrey Perkins, Bill W. Benton, and Gregory H. Watkins | Nominee |
César Awards
1 nomination
| Best Foreign Film | Dances With Wolves | Nominee |
National Board of Review
3 nominations, 3 won
| Best Director | Kevin Costner | Winner |
| Best Film | Dances With Wolves | Winner |
| Top Ten Films | Dances With Wolves | Winner |
Kinema Junpo Awards
2 nominations, 2 won
| Best Foreign Language Film | Dances With Wolves | Winner |
| Readers' Choice Award for Best Foreign Language Film | Dances With Wolves | Winner |
Chicago Film Critics Association
4 nominations, 1 won
| Best Cinematography | Dean Semler | Winner |
| Best Director | Kevin Costner | Nominee |
| Best Film | Dances With Wolves | Nominee |
| Best Screenplay | Michael Blake | Nominee |
American Cinema Editors
1 nomination, 1 won
| Best Edited Feature Film | Neil Travis | Winner |
American Society of Cinematographers
1 nomination, 1 won
| Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Theatrical Releases | Dean Semler | Winner |
BMI Awards
1 nomination, 1 won
| Film Music Award | John Barry | Winner |
Bronze Wrangler
1 nomination, 1 won
| Theatrical Motion Picture | Kevin Costner, Jim Wilson, and Rodney A. Grant | Winner |
Casting Society of America
1 nomination, 1 won
| Best Feature Film Casting – Drama | Elisabeth Leustig | Winner |
Environmental Media Awards
1 nomination, 1 won
| Feature Film | Dances With Wolves | Winner |
Goldene Kamera
1 nomination, 1 won
| Film–International | Kevin Costner (also for Waterworld and The Postman ) | Winner |
Japan Academy Prize
1 nomination, 1 won
| Outstanding Foreign Language Film | Dances With Wolves | Winner |
Mainichi Film Awards
1 nomination, 1 won
| Best Foreign Film | Dances With Wolves | Winner |
National Film Preservation Board
1 nomination, 1 won
| Selection for the National Film Registry | Dances With Wolves | Winner |
Nikkan Sports Film Awards
1 nomination, 1 won
| Best Foreign Film | Dances With Wolves | Winner |
Political Film Society
1 nomination, 1 won
| Peace | Dances With Wolves | Winner |
Spur Award
1 nomination, 1 won
| Best Motion Picture | Michael Blake | Winner |
Young Artist Awards
1 nomination, 1 won
| Most Entertaining Family Youth Motion Picture – Drama | Dances With Wolves | Winner |
David di Donatello
2 nominations
| Best Foreign Actor | Kevin Costner | Nominee |
| Best Foreign Film | Kevin Costner | Nominee |
British Society of Cinematographers
1 nomination
| Best Cinematography | Dean Semler | Nominee |
USC Scripter Award
1 nomination
| Scripter Award | Michael Blake | Nominee |