Killers of the Flower Moon, 2023
Directed by Martin Scorsese.
Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Lily Gladstone, Jesse Plemons, Tantoo Cardinal, Cara Jade Myers, JaNae Collins, Jillian Dion, William Belleau, Louis Cancelmi, Tatanka Means, Michael Abbott Jr., Pat Healy, Scott Shepherd, Jason Isbell, Sturgill Simpson, John Lithgow, Brendan Fraser, Jack White, Gary Basaraba, Joshua Close, Barry Corbin, Steve Eastin, Katherine Willis, Martin Scorsese, Randy Houser, Eric Parkinson, Samuel French, Nick W. Nicholson, Pete Yorn, Larry Sellers, Ben Hall, Norma Jean, Larry Fessenden, Joe Chrest, Elden Henson, Preston Galli, Danny Frost, Roanin Davis, Yancey Red Corn, Ty Mitchell, Gene Jones, Tommy Schultz, Steve Witting, and Steve Routman.
SYNOPSIS:
Killers of the Flower Moon is an epic western crime saga, where real love crosses paths with unspeakable betrayal. Based on a true story and told through the improbable romance of Ernest Burkhart (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Mollie Kyle (Lily Gladstone), Killers of the Flower Moon tracks the suspicious murders of members of the Osage Nation, who became some of the richest people in the world overnight after oil was discovered underneath their land.
This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strike. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, Killers of the Flower Moon wouldn’t exist.
Chronicling a sinister, sickening genocide plot to acquire the Osage Nation’s headrights, Martin Scorsese’s adaptation of Killers of the Flower Moon (adapting David Grann’s novel alongside screenwriter Eric Roth) chooses to shove aside any notion of mystery here. That’s for the best, considering a huge part of making this film is forcing viewers to undergo a reckoning with America’s crimes against humanity, and what better way to do that in three-and-a-half hours than to keep the devious scheming and domestic atrocities burned into one’s mind.
Leonardo DiCaprio’s Ernest Burkhart is a returning “war hero” (he was mostly stationed in the kitchen), reconnecting with his Deputy Sheriff uncle William King Hale (Robert De Niro), and finding some work as a driver, mainly for the Osage Native Americans. Upsetting the power balance a bit too much for some racist, power-hungry individuals, the Osage people discovered oil, bringing in money, white people, and all the problems that come with that. On the surface, it seems like a peaceful coexistence until it quickly becomes clear that white businessmen are gouging the Native Americans on various prices, specifically medical assistance, and that King (as he likes to be referred to) has hatched a diabolical plan to swing the oil profits in their favor.
And while Ernest swiftly becomes smitten with one of his passengers, Lily Gladstone’s Mollie, he also jokingly mentions that he loves money as much as his wife (it’s not long before they get married.) Greed is a common Martin Scorsese theme, but here, that line keeps ringing louder the longer the film goes on and the more heinous his actions become. There is also a welcome restraint in depicting some of these atrocities, allowing Lily Gladstone to convincingly sell the escalating trauma and tragedy, not to mention Mollie’s worsening diabetes, as they pile up. Leonardo DiCaprio pulls off the miraculous acting feat of making that love feel true despite his complicit behavior in the ongoing murders.
However, Killers of the Flower Moon also has some of Martin Scorsese’s trademark flourishes typically reserved for his gangster pictures, which is lent an entirely different, scathingly appropriate meaning when presented in this context (such as Native Americans getting whacked.) The short bursts of violence are there, and the goal is still to murder anyone who stands in the way of getting filthy rich, with the key distinction here being that the Mafia are Americans desperate for the wealth oil brings, and the savages comfortable wiping out an entire group of people to claim their land.
To the surprise of absolutely no one, the craftsmanship on display from Martin Scorsese is nothing short of extraordinary, with a catchy percussionist score from the recently deceased Robbie Robertson, picturesque beauty from cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto (also masterful at capturing sweaty, evocative facial expressions), and a crisp screenplay co-written with Eric Roth capable of conveying information cleanly and clearly (something that is paramount for a film with several characters crossing the three-hour mark, accompanied by many time skips forward.) The early twentieth century is meticulously re-created and bursting with life all over each frame, such as street races and public brawls.
Killers of the Flower Moon sizzles with drama, eventually bringing in a BOI investigator, played by Jesse Plemons, to attempt to get to the bottom of this series of murdered Native Americans. As Ernest and King feel the pressure of potentially getting busted weighing down on them, Mollie’s illness takes a turn for the worse, refusing to let that sickness stop her from taking matters into her own hands and searching for investigative assistance.
Leonardo DiCaprio turning phenomenal work in for a Martin Scorsese movie is as sure thing as water being wet, but it’s Lily Gladstone rising to the occasion and putting the horror on display into perspective with a stunning, often shellshocked and repulsed reactionary performance. Their final scene together is devastating perfection. That said, it still feels like there is more room to give her more material, or even other members of the Osage, who seem to disappear (not always because they are murdered) from the film as it goes on, which is a shame considering one of the most gorgeous shots of the entire film is in the opening moments, depicting them dancing upon striking oil.
Admittedly, the film could stand to lose about 20 minutes or so in other areas, but not because it feels too long; there is the occasional supporting character who gets a few too many minutes of screen time or a moment where the pacing feels as if it could be tightened. It is, however, always engaging, and all of those characters are distinct in their own right.
Rather than tidy up loose ends with the usual style of screen text explaining what happened to these characters, Martin Scorsese finds a clever way for Killers of the Flower Moon to do so in a more intimate setting allowing the filmmaker to emphasize the importance of this story. At 80 years old, Martin Scorsese continues to evolve his previous narratives and storytelling tactics, implementing new imaginative tricks and putting out exquisite, scintillating work once again with some of his most trusted collaborators, in front of and behind the camera. I sincerely hope he has one more in, but if not, what a hell of a way to go out with this scalding, haunting, unflinching condemnation of America’s past that is still relevant today.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com
