Killers of the Flower Moon
(A- or 3.5/4 stars)
Leonardo DiCaprio, Lily Gladstone & Robert DeNiro star in Martin Scorsese's sprawling, 206 minute epic crime tale set against the enormous canvas of 1920s Oklahoma, 'Killers of the Flower Moon'. Scorsese has made a career of depicting criminals in the likes of Goodfellas, Casino, Gangs of New York, The Departed, The Irishman, and now with this film, he sheds light, not only on the bad guys, but on the victims, as well. One major talking point {of many} is this film's nearly 3.5 hour run time; discussions include whether it should've been under 3 hours, or maybe expanded to a longer miniseries medium. For me, despite the bladder-testing length, this true story epic is one of Martin Scorsese's stronger achievements.
The script here focuses on both the mastermind & underlings of the atrocities being committed to the Osage people, but so, too, does it spend ample time with the Native Americans who are being systematically eliminated. Scorsese & his Oscar-winning co-writer, Eric Roth, have adapted David Grann's book, Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI; shaping the many moving parts of the story {organized murder, complicated romance, deceit, FBI, greed, money} into one single colossal narrative; never loosening its grip on this abominable slice of history.
After having moved to Oklahoma, the Osage people discover a healthy deposit of oil under the land -- instantly, they became one of the wealthiest people in America. As a result, the concentration of so much $$ attracted opportunists like flies. Enter beloved pillar of the community, avuncular cattle baron, William "King" Hale (Robert DeNiro), a generous & seemingly upstanding citizen {but really, a crime boss} who worms his way into Osage confidence before enacting his sinister plans.
Things get under way once wounded WWI vet, Ernest Burkhart (Leo DiCaprio), arrives in Oklahoma to work for his greedy uncle (DeNiro). Hale calls for his dim-witted, corruptible nephew to woo Mollie Kyle (Lily Gladstone), one of four daughters of Lizzy Q (Tantoo Cardinal), a wealthy Osage matriarch. Little does aimless, doltish Ernest 'fully' realize that he is roped into his uncle's evil scheme of stealing tribal land by getting him to marry rich Mollie, then kill off her family & her en route to inheriting big $$. Mollie is attractive, wry & wholly smitten by Ernest's natural 'aw schucks' charm. The plot twist here is that Ernest legitimately loves her & becomes torturously conflicted on how to act. To call this a twisted love story is an understatement.
Yes, Ernest loves Mollie, but questions arise as to the potency of his loyalty to his murderous uncle. Ernest & Mollie marry, have children, but as more Osage are getting killed off, an increasingly paranoid Mollie & a small group of surviving elders travel to D.C. to beseech Pres. Calvin Coolidge to investigate the carnage back home. To this, J. Edgar Hoover - head of the new Bureau of Investigation - sends agent Tom White (Jesse Plemons) & others to solve the murders. Matters get prescient as Mollie, herself, becomes gravely - and curiously - ill. Everything culminates in a courtroom trial, followed by a great moment of sudden discovery, and then what will go down as one of Scorsese's most interesting & damning endings he's ever created.
'Killers of the Flower Moon' is quite the intimate & masterful epic. With its languorous sweep & vast scope, it is difficult to wrap your head around all that it offers in just one viewing. Having said that, its 3.5 hour run time may not make one want to run right back out for a 2nd shot; especially since the proceedings are so horrific. Although Scorsese is known for the likes of Raging Bull, Goodfellas, The Departed, et al ... here, he blends bold, explosive violence with a more moody, introspective exploration of the human condition {something more akin to his Kun-dun or Silence}. There is gangster violence here, for sure, but the dominant mode is restraint. As always, Scorsese is incapable of making something lightweight or thoughtless.
The craft on display is unassailable. Thelma Schoonmaker's editing is as smoothly masterful. Rodrigo Prieto's gothic western cinematography is stunning. I recall one particular shot when DeNiro burns his farm - making it look like a true hellscape - with silhouettes of people & flames shimmering in the foreground. I also loved some thoroughly eerie visions involving owls & the afterlife. Jack Fisk's lavish 1920's Oklahoma production designs {an entire town is built, rich interiors, cars} are exquisite; as are Jacqueline West's meticulous costumes {authentic Osage garb, '20s suits & dresses}. And the late Robbie Robertson's sometimes perky-sometimes insidious blues music score kept me on edge. All of this helps create a world that is textured & feels real.
Robert DeNiro is quietly chilling as the seemingly caring community leader whose pitch dark, immoral tendencies are masked behind his urbane conduct & placating smile. He is grandiloquent in his villainy – a true wolf in sheep's clothing. Leonardo DiCaprio rivets as a simple-minded man with deep conflict in his eyes & pained face; especially as he is driven towards increasingly alarming deeds. DiCaprio's Ernest is an imbecile who thinks he's smart, & is internally conflicted about his love for Mollie -- all of which makes him all the more dangerous.
Lily Gladstone's expressions & soulful eyes speak volumes as the empathetic beating heart of the film. As Mollie, her regality & serene exterior hides a wellspring of fear, distrust & rageful anguish. Mollie's abstract, mercurial demeanor brings an air of mystery that aids the proceedings. Smaller roles played by John Lithgow & Brendan Fraser {as opposing lawyers}, a sobering cameo from Scorsese, himself, and a host of excellent Native American actors - particularly William Belleau {as the tragic Henry} & Cara Jade Myers (exhilarating & heartbreaking as Mollie's sister, Anna} are all impactful.
You know, 'Killers of the Flower Moon' requires a substantial degree of patience. It is not tedious in its narrative thrust, but it also doesn't rush forward -- moving elegantly. Scorsese utilizes tangents & asides along with bursts of violence to expand the canvas, enrich the characters, & arrest us in the world-building. This epic brims with reverence for a culture that somehow survived a horrendous trauma. There are things to nitpick in the film; I preferred the riveting 1st hour & nerve-wracking 3rd hour to the middling 2nd hour. But on the whole, I was mighty impressed by Scorsese's unsettling, mournful, but absorbing true crime study of greed, corruption, legacy & sins of the not-so-distant past. One day now after having seen 'KOTFM' ... it is haunting me.
The script here focuses on both the mastermind & underlings of the atrocities being committed to the Osage people, but so, too, does it spend ample time with the Native Americans who are being systematically eliminated. Scorsese & his Oscar-winning co-writer, Eric Roth, have adapted David Grann's book, Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI; shaping the many moving parts of the story {organized murder, complicated romance, deceit, FBI, greed, money} into one single colossal narrative; never loosening its grip on this abominable slice of history.
After having moved to Oklahoma, the Osage people discover a healthy deposit of oil under the land -- instantly, they became one of the wealthiest people in America. As a result, the concentration of so much $$ attracted opportunists like flies. Enter beloved pillar of the community, avuncular cattle baron, William "King" Hale (Robert DeNiro), a generous & seemingly upstanding citizen {but really, a crime boss} who worms his way into Osage confidence before enacting his sinister plans.
Things get under way once wounded WWI vet, Ernest Burkhart (Leo DiCaprio), arrives in Oklahoma to work for his greedy uncle (DeNiro). Hale calls for his dim-witted, corruptible nephew to woo Mollie Kyle (Lily Gladstone), one of four daughters of Lizzy Q (Tantoo Cardinal), a wealthy Osage matriarch. Little does aimless, doltish Ernest 'fully' realize that he is roped into his uncle's evil scheme of stealing tribal land by getting him to marry rich Mollie, then kill off her family & her en route to inheriting big $$. Mollie is attractive, wry & wholly smitten by Ernest's natural 'aw schucks' charm. The plot twist here is that Ernest legitimately loves her & becomes torturously conflicted on how to act. To call this a twisted love story is an understatement.
Yes, Ernest loves Mollie, but questions arise as to the potency of his loyalty to his murderous uncle. Ernest & Mollie marry, have children, but as more Osage are getting killed off, an increasingly paranoid Mollie & a small group of surviving elders travel to D.C. to beseech Pres. Calvin Coolidge to investigate the carnage back home. To this, J. Edgar Hoover - head of the new Bureau of Investigation - sends agent Tom White (Jesse Plemons) & others to solve the murders. Matters get prescient as Mollie, herself, becomes gravely - and curiously - ill. Everything culminates in a courtroom trial, followed by a great moment of sudden discovery, and then what will go down as one of Scorsese's most interesting & damning endings he's ever created.
'Killers of the Flower Moon' is quite the intimate & masterful epic. With its languorous sweep & vast scope, it is difficult to wrap your head around all that it offers in just one viewing. Having said that, its 3.5 hour run time may not make one want to run right back out for a 2nd shot; especially since the proceedings are so horrific. Although Scorsese is known for the likes of Raging Bull, Goodfellas, The Departed, et al ... here, he blends bold, explosive violence with a more moody, introspective exploration of the human condition {something more akin to his Kun-dun or Silence}. There is gangster violence here, for sure, but the dominant mode is restraint. As always, Scorsese is incapable of making something lightweight or thoughtless.
The craft on display is unassailable. Thelma Schoonmaker's editing is as smoothly masterful. Rodrigo Prieto's gothic western cinematography is stunning. I recall one particular shot when DeNiro burns his farm - making it look like a true hellscape - with silhouettes of people & flames shimmering in the foreground. I also loved some thoroughly eerie visions involving owls & the afterlife. Jack Fisk's lavish 1920's Oklahoma production designs {an entire town is built, rich interiors, cars} are exquisite; as are Jacqueline West's meticulous costumes {authentic Osage garb, '20s suits & dresses}. And the late Robbie Robertson's sometimes perky-sometimes insidious blues music score kept me on edge. All of this helps create a world that is textured & feels real.
Robert DeNiro is quietly chilling as the seemingly caring community leader whose pitch dark, immoral tendencies are masked behind his urbane conduct & placating smile. He is grandiloquent in his villainy – a true wolf in sheep's clothing. Leonardo DiCaprio rivets as a simple-minded man with deep conflict in his eyes & pained face; especially as he is driven towards increasingly alarming deeds. DiCaprio's Ernest is an imbecile who thinks he's smart, & is internally conflicted about his love for Mollie -- all of which makes him all the more dangerous.
Lily Gladstone's expressions & soulful eyes speak volumes as the empathetic beating heart of the film. As Mollie, her regality & serene exterior hides a wellspring of fear, distrust & rageful anguish. Mollie's abstract, mercurial demeanor brings an air of mystery that aids the proceedings. Smaller roles played by John Lithgow & Brendan Fraser {as opposing lawyers}, a sobering cameo from Scorsese, himself, and a host of excellent Native American actors - particularly William Belleau {as the tragic Henry} & Cara Jade Myers (exhilarating & heartbreaking as Mollie's sister, Anna} are all impactful.
You know, 'Killers of the Flower Moon' requires a substantial degree of patience. It is not tedious in its narrative thrust, but it also doesn't rush forward -- moving elegantly. Scorsese utilizes tangents & asides along with bursts of violence to expand the canvas, enrich the characters, & arrest us in the world-building. This epic brims with reverence for a culture that somehow survived a horrendous trauma. There are things to nitpick in the film; I preferred the riveting 1st hour & nerve-wracking 3rd hour to the middling 2nd hour. But on the whole, I was mighty impressed by Scorsese's unsettling, mournful, but absorbing true crime study of greed, corruption, legacy & sins of the not-so-distant past. One day now after having seen 'KOTFM' ... it is haunting me.