- Alas, Poor Scrappy: The death of the revolting Timmons is so brutal that it's hard not to feel sorry for him, even though it wasn't very surprising that he died. He dies pleading with the Pawnee to not hurt his mules even as he lay there suffering and bleeding out. He was a disgusting little troll with a core of pure platinum.
- Alternative Character Interpretation: The scene with the Pawnee war party attacking the Sioux camp takes on a completely different tenor if you know the real story - that the Lakota had invaded the Pawnees' territory and driven them off their land. Even their Kick the Dog moment of killing the Sioux dogs has good reason - the dogs were sentries and by killing them, they kept them from barking a warning to the Sioux. Not that it does them any good - the Sioux already knew they were coming and John had armed them all with rifles. It turns an ambush into a Curb-Stomp Battle, with the Pawnee on the wrong side yet again.
- Anvilicious: Nowadays it can come off as extremely preachy, but at the time of its release it was one of the first positive portrayals of Native Americans to reach wide acclaim. Not counting the Pawnee of course.
- Awesome Music: Most of the score, but especially the beautiful John Dunbar Theme
, which was apparently one of Pope John Paul II's favorite pieces of music. - Catharsis Factor: After being forced to watch the soldiers Kick the Dog throughout their screentime, it becomes absolutely satisfying when the Sioux rescue party and Dunbar take almost of them out in brutal, but very deserving deaths, special mentions on Spivey and Bauer getting their just Desserts.
- Fair for Its Day: In hindsight, Dances With Wolves was to race relations what Rain Man was to autism representation. How the film was received then and how some see it now: in 1990, the film was praised for being a positive representation of Native Americans, but in recent years, the film has been blamed for jumpstarting the "White Man's Burden" subgenre of films about racism. These films usually are told from the point of view of a white character, subsequently leading the minority characters to be portrayed as either saints who guide the white lead or victims for the white character to save. Even if this particular movie averts both, it still gets all the blame for opening the floodgate.
- Fan-Preferred Cut Content: Out of the many scenes only found in the extended edition, the one featuring Fort Sedgwick's abandonment before Dunbar's arrival is constantly cited as a sequence that should have stayed in the theatrical cut. It has some nice acting and dialogue, and the Fort's emptiness comes across as a Plot Hole in the theatrical cut.
- Fandom Rivalry: Many fans of Goodfellas still can't get over it losing Best Picture to this, as well as Martin Scorsese losing Best Director to Kevin Costner, despite both movies being great and standing the test of time.
- Harsher in Hindsight: The villainization of the Pawnee in this movie will come across as bitterly ironic to anyone who's seen The Revenant.
- Hilarious in Hindsight:
- This isn't the only time that Graham Greene has played the role of a Lakota Indian (Greene is a member of the Oneida people).
- Through some coincidence of costuming and makeup, Timmons bears an uncanny resemblence to Torgo from Manos: The Hands of Fate.
- This isn’t the last time that Rodney A. Grant plays a character in a movie where wolves play a big enough role to be in the title of the film.
- This isn't the only time that Graham Greene has played the role of a Lakota Indian (Greene is a member of the Oneida people
- Ho Yay: Wind In His Hair calls Dunbar his kola, which in Lakota custom includes sleeping in the same blanket when part of a hunting party and in some cases even sharing wives.
- Hype Backlash: Mainly from Goodfellas fans who thought the movie was too long, boring, and a Vanity Project. Also, some people have since labelled the film racist for having elements that border on Mighty Whitey and White Savior, even if it’s Fair for Its Day
- One-Scene Wonder: Major Fambrough, the crazy (possibly from either syphilis or lead poisoning) military officer that gives Dunbar his orders, and thinks that it's the time of King Arthur.
- Memetic Mutation: "Tatanka" became the semi-official name of particular drink in Poland. One of the ingredients is bison grass vodka.
- Moral Event Horizon:
- The squad of Union Soldier crosses it when their first time on screen is killing Cisco, John's horse to be eaten by the crows later on, and Two-Socks for their own sadistic pleasure.
- Corporal Spivy immediately crosses it when he lies about John's journal and steals it for no reason knowing that Dunbar is going to be executed as a traitor without any proof.
- Tear Jerker:
- The deaths of Two-Socks and Cisco, in rapid succession.
- Wind In His Hair's farewell to Dunbar. It's heartbreaking watching the otherwise stoic warrior lose his second best friend in a row.
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