Kevin Costner played the role of soldier John Dunbar in what film?

The 1990 epic Western that features Kevin Costner as Lieutenant John Dunbar was a passion project for the actor, who also made his directorial debut with the film. In the story, Dunbar is a disillusioned Civil War hero who requests a remote posting on the American frontier. There, he encounters and gradually befriends a local Lakota Sioux tribe. The film's title comes from the name the Lakota give him after they witness him chasing and playing with his lone wolf companion, named Two Socks.

The movie was a huge gamble, as the Western genre was considered commercially dead. Studios were hesitant to finance a three-hour film with extensive dialogue in the Lakota language, requiring subtitles. Costner famously invested over $20 million of his own money to get it made. The risk paid off spectacularly, as the film became a massive box office hit and a critical sensation. It went on to win seven Academy Awards, including the coveted Oscars for Best Picture and Best Director for Costner, and is credited with reviving the Western for a new generation of moviegoers.