Dances with Wolvesis a 1990 epic western film directed by and starring Kevin Costner . It is a film adaptation of the 1988 book of the same name by Michael Blake and tells the story of a Union Army Lieutenant who travels to the American frontier to find a military post, and his dealings with a group of Lakota Indians .

Costner developed the film over five years, with a budget of $22 million.Dances with Wolveshad high production valuesand won seven Academy Awards including Best Picture and the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Drama .Much of the dialogue is in the Lakota language with English subtitles. It was shot in South Dakota and Wyoming .

It is credited as a leading influence for the revitalization of the Western genre of filmmaking in Hollywood. In 2007,Dances with Wolveswas selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."

In 1863, First Lieutenant John J. Dunbar ( Kevin Costner ) is injured in the American Civil War . Rather than having his leg amputated he takes a horse and rides adjacent to and in full view of the enemy front lines "in order to produce [his] own death." The Union army attacks while the Confederates are distracted by Dunbar's ride, and the battle ends up being a Confederate rout. Dunbar survives, receives a citation for bravery and is awarded the horse who carried him on the field that day, as well as his choice of posting . Dunbar requests a transfer to the western frontier so he can see it before it's gone. Dunbar arrives at his new post, Fort Sedgwick, but finds it abandoned and in disrepair. Despite being alone and the threat of nearby Native American tribes, he elects to stay and man the post himself. He soon begins the task of rebuilding and restocking the fort and seems to prefer the solitude afforded him. He records many of his observations in his diary.

Dunbar initially encounters his neighbors, a Sioux tribe, when several attempts are made to steal his horse and intimidate him. In response to these interactions, Dunbar decides to seek out the Sioux camp in an attempt to establish a dialogue. On his way, he comes across an injured Native American woman. She is Stands with a Fist ( Mary McDonnell ), the white, adopted daughter of Kicking Bird, the tribe's medicine man ( Graham Greene ). Dunbar returns her to the tribe's camp to be treated, which dramatically changes the Sioux's attitude toward him. Eventually, Dunbar establishes a rapport with Kicking Bird, though the language barrier frustrates them; Stands with a Fist reluctantly acts as a translator.

Dunbar finds himself drawn to the lifestyle and customs of the tribe and begins spending most of his time with them. He becomes a hero among the Sioux and is accepted as an honored guest after he locates a migrating herd of buffalo and participates in the hunt. When at Fort Sedgwick, Dunbar also befriends a wolf he dubs "Two Socks" for its white forepaws. One day, the Sioux observe Dunbar and Two Socks chasing each other in play and promptly give him his Sioux name "Dances with Wolves". During this time, Dunbar also forges a romantic relationship with Stands with a Fist and helps defend the village from an attack by the rival Pawnee tribe. Dunbar eventually wins Kicking Bird's approval to marry Stands with a Fist, and he abandons Fort Sedgwick forever.

Because of the growing Pawnee and white threat, Chief Ten Bears ( Floyd Red Crow Westerman ) decides it is time to move the village to its winter camp. Dunbar decides to accompany them and returns to Fort Sedgwick to retrieve his journal. However, when he arrives he finds it re-occupied by the U.S. Army. Because Dunbar is dressed in Sioux clothing, the soldiers mistake him for a hostile warrior and open fire, killing his horse and capturing him. When Dunbar refuses to assist them in serving as an interpreter to the local tribes, the Army decides to put him on trial for treason and transport him back east as a prisoner.

While traveling in an armed caravan the soldiers of the escort shoot Two Socks when the wolf attempts to follow Dunbar. The Sioux subsequently attack the convoy, killing all the soldiers and freeing Dunbar. Dunbar decides to leave the Sioux with Stands with a Fist since his status as a perceived traitor puts the tribe in danger. After they leave, U.S. troops are seen searching the mountains but are unable to locate them, while a lone wolf (implied to be a surviving Two Socks) howls in the distance. An epilogue text states that thirteen years afterwards, the last remnants of free Sioux were subjugated to the American government, ending the conquest of the Western frontier states.