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Dustin Hoffman plays the character Jack Crabb, a man now well beyond one hundred, whose entire family was massacred on the great plains by a tribe of Pawnee when he was only ten.He relates his incredible story throughout the movie in the form of narration to a disbelieving reporter, especially doubtful over Crabb's claim that he is the sole white survivor of the Battle of Little Big Horn, in Crabb's own words, "popularly knowed as Custer's Last Stand."He and his sister are taken in by a tribe of Cheyenne (who call themselves the "Human Beings"), where he spends his early years, until one of the many twists and turns of his life puts him back in the company of whites, this time with a firey preacher and his less than virtuous wife, played by Faye Dunaway.I don't want to give away too much of the story by detailing more of odd turns his life subsequently takes, but he does go back and forth between the worlds of the whites and the Cheyenne.The other notable actors in this movie are Martin Balsam, Chief Dan George, Jeff Corey, and Richard Mulligan (what a performance!), who plays Custer.Balsam plays the part of snake oil salesman Alardyce T. Meriwheather, and he plays the role to its cynical best, as Balsam always seemed to do so well in all the movies he made.Jeff Corey plays Wild Bill Hickok, and he brings great humanity to the role, both surprisingly genteel in his treatment of Crabb and paranoid from the knowledge that he was targeted by others.Chief Dan George plays Old Lodgeskins, Crabb's adopted "grandfather" after the Cheyenne took him after his family had been massacred by the Pawnee, and he turns in a great performance, at times dejected about the fate that awaits his people and deadpanning such funny comments as (when asking about Crabb's wife) "Does she show pleasant enthusiasm when you mount her?" and other hilarious statements.Most memorable of all, Richard Mulligan as Custer is really something to behold, displaying all the recklessness and borderline psychosis that the real Custer most likely had.Crabb has multiple close brushes with death, and there are lots of funny situations, including one where he meets none other than William Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok, played beautifully by Jeff Corey.However, while very funny, there are some moments of sickening brutality, as the Cheyenne are steadily squeezed out by the likes of the ambitious Custer.This is a complex story that effectively uses the juxtaposition of humor with tragedy to give life to both.Hoffman's performance is simply astonishing, going from a very young teen, to a young man, to middle aged, to drunk, to hermit, to very old man.Hoffman's old man makeup is remarkable, and Hoffman himself screamed for an extended period before filming the parts with him in the makeup to give his voice that raspy and harsh old man's quality.This is one of those movies I always just come back to watch each year or so, as it is just so good.It is based on the excellent Thomas Berger novel, which I have also read, and there are a few key differences, notably the relationship between Crabb and Hickok, and what happens to Hoffman's "grandfather" Cheyenne chief Old Lodgeskins.Hoffman's skill as an actor is in little doubt, but his performance here is quite possibly his greatest in a long line ("Kramer vs. Kramer," "Rainman," "Tootsie," "Midnight Cowboy") of great performances.If you enjoy complexity in a story and a wonderful sense of wry humor, you will love this movie.