Review: Killers of the Flower Moon
Vamshi Darisi
Killers of the Flower Moon
Non-spoiler Review
Killers of the Flower Moon is Martin Scorsese's latest epic, a historical crime drama set in 1920s Oklahoma. The movie depicts the boom of the Osage nation after the discovery of an oil reserve on their tribal land, and the series of suspicious deaths of Osage members that follow.
The film boasts a talented cast, as well as a 3 hour 26 minute runtime. Scorsese moves from strength to strength, drawing from his wells of experience with historicals and gangster epics to present a captivating portrayal of paranoia, conspiracy and cynicism. His storytelling is enhanced by incredible cinematography, a refined soundtrack and consistently high-quality sets and wardrobe, creating a world that (mostly) captures the audience from start to finish.
There is no shortage of compelling characters - Leonardo Di Caprio as the simple minded Ernest Burkhart and Robert De Niro as his uncle, William King Hale, are engaging and intriguing leads, and Lily Gladstone as Mollie Kyle, an Osage whose family falls victim to this reign of terror, brings tragedy, heart and charm to her performance.
This film is very Scorsese - it’s got lies, crimes and brutal power grabs. It's also very Scorsese in that it’s demanding - make sure you’re prepared for the runtime, because while it doesn’t take you out of the film, it definitely hits you. However, the combination of Scorsese’s ever-growing skillset and the harrowing historical and cultural context add weight to this story and make it feel new and fascinating.
Story - 5/5
Entertainment value - 4/5
Cinematography - 5/5
Characterisation and Acting - 4/5
Recommendation: Watch in theatres if possible!
Spoilery thoughts
This movie broadcasts pretty early on how William Hale and Ernest Burkhart are involved in the Osage murders. Although there’s kind of a ‘big reveal’ scene, there isn’t really any mystery to it, and the characters’ motives and lack of morals are present from the very beginning.
A previous draft of this movie centred wholly around the Bureau of Investigation (now the FBI) and their inquiry into the Osage murders. Jesse Plemons’s character would have been in a much larger proportion of the movie, learning about incidents that had already happened and piecing together the perpetrators of the murders. While this would’ve made for an intriguing mystery, it’s not the best idea; we would’ve missed all the events unfolding!
I bring this up to show that this story can be told from a number of different perspectives. Personally, I think a more compelling one would have been from Mollie's - she would have been a brilliant protagonist, one we already feel sympathy for and a connection to, and Lily Gladstone definitely seems to have the acting chops to carry a film of this scale and complexity. Making a film following exploitative murderers makes it easy to find your moral standing but slightly harder to find specific characters to root for.
It's especially true when a lot of the victims, including Mollie herself, fade into the background for a lot of the movie. I’m not sure how much of the story Mollie experienced in real life, but perhaps it could have shortened the movie while still keeping the nuanced portrayal of each of the large ensemble cast.
However, perhaps Mollie’s perspective would have been difficult to tackle correctly. Letterboxd reviewer trythebuffer, who are Osage themselves, suggested that it might take an Osage person to make this film from an Osage perspective. Scorsese may not be able to capture how the Osage felt, or conveyed their generational trauma with the right understanding. But as Lily Gladstone puts it, nobody is giving Osage filmmakers ‘Scorsese money’, and this film makes vast strides in representing Osage history on the big screen.
Anyway, that’s really my main spoilery thought to be discussed. Overall, I really enjoyed the movie, and am looking forward to Scorsese’s next project, titled The Wager - intriguing! Please contact us through the website[either the submission box or email] with your own reviews, or submit them in the comments below to get featured on the blog website! I'd love to hear what you think.
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