Killers of the Flower Moon

 

Score:  A

Directed by Martin Scorsese

Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Lily Gladstone

Running time: 206 minutes

Rated R

Long Story Short:  Killers of the Flower Moon is famed director Martin Scorsese's latest film, based on the best-selling and widely praised book.  Unfolding over a formidable 200+ minutes, Scorsese manages to keep audiences rapt throughout thanks to a brutal yet fascinating murderous plot and a set of phenomenal performances from standbys DiCaprio and De Niro and newcomer Gladstone.  It earns the awards hype - recommended for all adults, just beware there is plenty of bloodshed.

In 1919, World War I veteran Ernest (DiCaprio) moves to the Osage reservation in Oklahoma where his brother, Byron, and uncle Hale (De Niro) live.  The Osage have been surrounded by a large white community, thanks to the massive oil field discovered on their land; courts have required the Osage (deemed "incompetent") to work with white men to manage their oil revenue.  Ernest, in his job as a local driver, meets an Osage woman named Mollie, and they soon marry.  While they enjoy their lives together, alongside Mollie's family of sisters and others, a number of disturbing mysterious Osage deaths rock the community.  The riches of the land have driven some bad people to horrific crimes, and Ernest is soon forced to choose between the people he loves.

Killers of the Flower Moon is an excellent historical crime drama, superbly acted and plotted to keep you engaged throughout despite an unusually long running time.  The movie is not for the faint of heart, though: it does not shy away from white men's brutality against the Osage tribe.  Scorsese is not gratuitous, like Tarantino, in his images, but there is still plenty of cold-blooded violence and an omnipresent awareness of the despicable, often breathtaking, plots to deceive and loot the Osage.  Still, I did not find Killers to be an overwhelmingly dark movie - personally, I found it far more bearable than the much less violent Power of the Dog, for example.  It is very serious and realistic, but it is certainly no documentary (despite the historical roots) and even sprinkles in some much-needed humor here and there, usually based on Ernest's stupidity.  As riveting and hair-raising as the first three-quarters of the film is, the tone shifts gears for the final act as the wheels of justice finally - blessedly - kick in.  This part often trips up similar films; as cathartic as it is for the bad guys to get caught, it's too often done inartfully (as is the case in the recent streamer The Burial).  Here, the BOI (early version of FBI) does its job methodically and straightforward but it's in the same realistic, restrained tone as the rest of the film.

Bringing all of this to life is a tremendous cast, both the main characters as well as the supporting cast.  Leonardo DiCaprio turns in another great performance as Ernest, the lead, a white man who becomes closer to the Osage tribe than most.  He is technically a villain, yet so well developed and nuanced, thanks to both writing and acting, that he feels fully human and so at least somewhat sympathetic.  His love for his wife also feels real, and his agony over the conflicts this causes are some of the film's most poignant.  He is also a simple man, though occasional moments of cunning seem out of character; maybe that is realistic, too, though?  Robert De Niro, a frequent muse of Scorsese, also does typically great work, here a patriarch of not only his family but also the community.  I don't think it's too much a spoiler to reveal that he is the true villain of the movie responsible for virtually all the evil done (even if others carry it out).  That he ingratiates himself so effectively on the Osage tribe makes him all the more vile.  Lily Gladstone as Mollie is at least as good as those two superstars - but she does so through amazingly understated performance.  She has very little dialogue, yet communicates so much through her eyes and expressions; she is a perfect symbol of why many white men mistook indigenous people like her as simple "incompetents", yet she is so smart, strong, and capable.  One of the film's weaker points is its relative lack of development of her character, but Gladstone's acting still makes it a vital role.  Finally, I did not really mind the long running time of the movie, although it could certainly have been shorter.  Still, I can't blame Scorsese for keeping the length generous.

***

Killers of the Flower Moon was a great way to kick off the unofficial start of Oscar movie season.  Due to the writers' and actors' strikes (which have now ended, with both groups getting important wins!), the release schedule might be a bit different this year.  The Dune sequel was delayed to next year, among others.  Killers went against my concern for increasing length of some movies, but it at least earned the extended time.  Next up will be the latest Marvel superhero release titled, um, The Marvels - which will hopefully end the year on a high note for the MCU after both Ant-Man 3 and Guardians 3 were disappointments.  Be back soon!

* By http://www.impawards.com/2023/killers_of_the_flower_moon_ver2.html, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=74421048