---
title: "Little Big Man: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/little-big-man/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/little-big-man"
critics_score: 60
critics_reviews: 7
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Little Big Man (1970): what the critics said

Critics' score 60 from 7 reviews: 2 positive, 4 mixed, 1 negative.

The reviews lean towards a mixed response to Little Big Man, with praise for its ambition and performances rather than agreement that its approach works throughout. The favourable accounts find an entertaining, sly tragicomedy that challenges Western myths through Jack Crabb’s perspective. Acting draws the clearest praise: Dustin Hoffman is a strength, while Chief Dan George earns particular appreciation for his dignity and philosophical contributions.

Reservations concern pacing, caricature and the fit between broad comedy and historical suffering. Some encounters drag even for admirers, and Variety sees promise in the mixture of burlesque and serious sketches without offering an enthusiastic endorsement. The New Yorker supplies the sharpest dissent, arguing that the move towards solemn political messaging weakens both the humour and the film’s larger ambitions. The spread is wide, though two inaccessible review texts limit how fully the reasons behind the scores can be compared.

## Radio Times — David Parkinson

Rating 4/5. 

Parkinson regards the film as an ambitious, sly and handsome tragicomedy, though some encounters drag. He particularly praises Chief Dan George’s dignified performance.

[Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-ur6zv3/little-big-man/)

## Empire — Kim Newman

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. 

Newman finds the Western entertaining despite its caricatured, exaggerated approach. He singles out Dustin Hoffman’s performance as a particular strength.

[Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/little-big-man-review/)

## Time Out — GA

Fi1m's normalised score 67/100 (inferred from the text). 

The review presents the film as an epic post-Western seeking to demythologize its subject. It singles out Jack Crabb’s perspective as the lens for that approach.

[Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/little-big-man-1)

## The New York Times — Vincent Canby

Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 15 December 1970. 

The article appears to be a review of the film, but its critical verdict and specific praise or complaints cannot be verified from the inaccessible page.

[Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1970/12/15/archives/film-seeking-the-american-heritage-dustin-hoffman-stars-in-little.html)

## RogerEbert.com

Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 

The review text was unavailable, so its verdict cannot be established. The accessible page showed only a browser-check message, with no praise or complaint to assess.

[Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/little-big-man-1970)

## Variety — Variety Staff

Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 31 December 1969. 

The review finds the film’s mix of burlesque and serious sketches an ambitious, potentially worthwhile way to approach historical wrongs. It singles out Chief Dan George’s philosophical contributions as outstanding.

[Read the review](https://variety.com/1969/film/reviews/little-big-man-2-1200422183/)

## The New Yorker — Pauline Kael

Fi1m's normalised score 25/100 (inferred from the text). 18 December 1970. 

Kael finds the film disappointing, arguing that its shift from shaggy comedy to solemn political messaging undermines both its humor and its epic ambitions. She singles out the snow massacre as its one visually effective sequence, while faulting the film for cheapening its impact afterward.

[Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1970/12/26/the-current-cinema-22)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/little-big-man.md