34 years after Dances with Wolves, it’s time to accept the harsh reality of Kevin Costner’s career

34 years after his Oscar-winning epic Western, Dances with wolvesArriving in cinemas, it is time for the audience to accept an uncomfortable truth about the legend of the screen Kevin Costners career. An actor, writer and director with an impressive pedigree, Costner ranks as one of the industry’s biggest stars, having featured in multiple award-winning projects and box office successes. One of the most remarkable things about Costner’s rise was His supposed command of all aspects of the movie-making process. However, closer inspection reveals that this particular reputation is not necessarily warranted.

Kevin Costner’s acting career began in the 1980s, where he rapidly established himself as a compelling screen presence. After a series of minor roles, he secured the lead role of Elliot Ness in The Untouchables. This was preceded by a number of hit releases, such as the sports movies Field of dreams And Bill Durham. It was this success that led to his establishment of production house Tig Productions – a venture that in turn Allow him to produce and direct Dances with wolves. The success of the movie created Costner’s reputation as an industry polymath. However, later decades have subtly challenged this idea.

Kevin Costner is not a great director, Dances with Wolves notwithstanding

His later movies failed to resonate

Winning a best director Oscar, like Costner Dances with wolvesis a remarkable achievement that deserves recognition. The fact that the acclaim came with his directorial debut, understandably, led many to hail Costner as the next all-round movie maestro, similar to great actor-directors like Orson Welles.

However, the uncomfortable truth is that a closer look at Costner’s record proves that, as a director, He could never recover Dances with wolvesSuccess. In fact, as impressive as this movie is, the rest of his directorial career is somewhat limited and underwhelming. Despite a reputation as a great director, Costner only directed four movies. Not only that, but Dances with wolves is by far and away the most critically and financially successful movie he has ever released.

The postman And Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 Both were disappointments, though Open Range (which impressed critics) made up less than 20% of that Dances with wolves Made at the box office on an identical budget. All of this suggests that, rather than a demonstrably great director, Costner’s command of this particular aspect of filmmaking is perhaps less complete than many people assume.

Horizon confirms the truth about Kevin Costner’s regime

The movie struggles with an awkward story

Costner’s struggles as a director since Dances with wolves have been confirmed by the release of Horizon. A sweeping epic western and personal passion project for CostnerThe movie is billed as the first installment in a series of films exploring the American West over a 12-year span, before and after the American Civil War. The ambition involved is hard to overstate. However, on the evidence of Chapter 1It is clear that the end result is far from perfect.

Despite exploring similar themes as Westerns like Dances with wolves And Open Range, HorizonIts massive scope has been criticized for being too broad, with too many different plot threads. Like these Rotten tomatoes Critical Consensus puts it:

“Kevin Costner doesn’t lack for ambition when he sketches this frontier saga across the widest of canvases, but Horizon’s first chapter proves too diffuse… for it to satisfy as a self-contained endeavor.“

This assessment is reflected in the film’s mixed critical response (48% positive reviews) and financial failure ($36.1 million against a $50 million budget). Costner’s central role lays no blame at his door, while the supposed incoherence of the film speaks to a production that lacks clear direction.

Costner’s biggest successes have come as an actor

His reputation as a superstar is well-earned

While Dances with wolves Beyond his status as a successful director, the real truth about Costner’s career is that he is a far more accomplished actor. Not only has he starred in multiple films that have earned their place in popular culture, but he has a much more extensive resume in front of the camera than he does behind it. Wyatt Erp, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, tin cupAnd Man of Steel are all examples of Costner performances that had a profound impact on audiences. He has even proven his ability to command the small screenStealing the show in Taylor Sheridan’s hit series, Yellowstone.

Dances with wolves Proved that Kevin Costner is certainly not a bad director. In fact, there are flashes in all his movies that highlight his undeniable skill when he has full control of the project. However, given that his entire directorial CV only runs to four released films – only one of which was an unqualified success – it seems fair to suggest that a reassessment of his career may be overdue.