By: JOE SIMILE / CO-EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Martin Scorsese returns to the big screen with another three-and-a-half hour historical crime film. His newest work is Killers of the Flower Moon, a telling of the Reign of Terror of the Osage Nation in the early 20th century. Based on the 2017 book of the same name by David Grann, the story closely follows Ernest Burkhart (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his uncle William Hale (Robert De Niro), as Hale attempts to use Burkhart to scheme his way into Osage headright wealth.
Despite the 206 minute run time, it paces really well, and is one of the few films of that length that I felt did not run for too long. It truly felt more like if possible, Scorsese would’ve made the film closer to five hours. Rodrigo Prieto, one of Hollywood’s top cinematographers, had another stellar performance with this film.
The best shot of the entire film came at the very end, an overhead shot showing Osage celebrating their surviving culture in a large tribal dance.
The perspective of the film was an interesting way to approach telling the story. Rather than focusing on the Osage, who were the victims of these murders, we instead are watching the perspective of Burkhart, who was one of the catalysts of these murders. DiCaprio turned in a wonderful, conflicting performance as Burkhart, who comes off as a less-than-intelligent young man who seems easily manipulated. Conversely, he is dearly in love with his wife who he is constantly causing to suffer with his actions. However, he is making a concerted effort to commit these atrocities. It is an interesting conundrum that leaves the audience wondering, who is Ernest Burkhart? Is he a dunce yokel following orders? Is he a merciless sociopath? Is he a mind that isn’t complex enough to understand the result of his actions, following blind loyalty to two separate forces?
It’s not outrageous to say we leave the theater understanding Ernest less than we did at the beginning of the movie, but not in a way that makes you feel as though you’ve wasted your time. It’s part of the brilliance of this movie. Ernest is the protagonist, but he really isn’t the main character of the story being told. We are being told it through the perspective of Ernest. Conventionally, a film would tell the story from the perspective of William Hale or Mollie Burkhart, but instead, we see it through Ernest, who is connected very closely to both of them.
The acting all around was top-notch. DiCaprio and De Niro were as convincing as ever, Jesse Plemons was equally intimidating and likable as Tom White. Lily Gladstone turned in an exceptional performance as Mollie Burkhart, my heart broke more and more every time she appeared on screen. Tantoo Cardinal was also phenomenal as Lizzie Q, and Cara Jade Myers was showstopping as Anna Kyle Brown.
Despite the long runtime, the biggest thing the film lacked was context. If you weren’t read up on the story going in, it was very easy to get confused and lost. We aren’t explained how the guardian system operates. We aren’t explained how William Hale brought this string of murders into being. We never really see the development of how Hale, a seemingly great friend of the Osage, evolved into being a leader of their genocide. One of Scorsese’s greatest films was GoodFellas. GoodFellas does a fantastic job at explaining how the mob worked, how Henry Hill gets in with the mob, and what goes on behind the scenes. It made you, the viewer, want to join the mob. Killers of the Flower Moon was missing that exposition.
While it is a fantastic dramatic retelling of the Osage murders and a truly captivating film, there wasn’t anything exceptionally creative with the film. Scorsese tried to stay true to just telling the story, he didn’t try anything new or experiment with this film. It is very similar to the book it is based on, in the sense that it reads more as extended journalism rather than a drama. And, while there’s nothing wrong with that, and it works well for this film, it goes against the norm that we’ve seen from Hollywood blockbusters this year with all the experimentation we’ve seen. It came across as a little safe.
One small, but awesome scene that I found amazing came at the end. Typically movies based on true stories will end with a slideshow-equivalent way of wrapping up the story. This movie took it a step further, showcasing a live, recorded radio show retelling the events of the Osage murders and the aftermath (very much like a modern true crime podcast). The scene was awesome and had some very cool cameos for those with quick eyes.
I would definitely recommend that everybody see this film. It will be among the best to come out this year (although I don’t think it is the best). It is a film that will stick with you long after you see it and leave you wanting to learn more about the topic. It elicits strong emotions out of the audience, and it’s a very captivating story with fantastic performances all around.