JakeStevens Blog

When I saw this in the theater back in 1993, I was hoping for a sci-fi flick full of aliens and awesome SFX, so when I got to the halfway mark, I figured this was a dramatic representation of events that may or may not have happened. And I was cool with it, because the story kept gaining momentum and the pace was quickening, and it started to look like maybe they DID murder their friend...hmmm...intriguing. ***SPOILER ALERT*** Then the flashback scene happens, and it TOTALLY took me by surprise. It was incredibly effective, and I think I even went with a group of other friends to see it in the theater AGAIN. I was SO glad when it FINALLY came out on DVD in 2004, because the VHS version was a crappy full-screen transfer. Now, I can't wait for a HD DVD or Blu Ray version, because the DVD transfer looks kinda crappy on a HDTV. Oh well...at least it's on DVD at all, I suppose.

The pacing is so slow on this film, I can honestly say in the handful of times that I've watched (including it's theatrical run), I've only seen the ending once. If I have insomnia, this is the film I pop in. I don't know why, but I fall asleep EVERY TIME I see this film. Don't get me wrong, the story is fascinating and the cinematography is wonderfully dark, I just can't keep my eyes open long enough to finish the damn thing in one sitting.

It's unbelievable that this is Kevin Costner's directorial debut. It's made with such care and pathos, and the pacing is indicative of one of the masters of film, you'd never guess this was a first time director in the director's chair. I tend to categorize this in the "Anti-Western" file, as the Indians are shown as the "good guys" rather than the "cowboys", which I believe is closer to the truth than the early years of the Western genre. A fine film from beginning to end.