Killers of the Flower Moon, 2023.
Directed by Martin Scorsese.
Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Lily Gladstone, Robert De Niro, Brendan Fraser, Jesse Plemons, Tantoo Cardinal, Cara Jade Myers, JaNae Collins, Jillian Dion, William Belleau, Jason Isbell, Louis Cancelmi, Scott Shepherd, John Lithgow, and Sturgill Simpson.
Members of the Osage tribe in the United States are murdered under mysterious circumstances in the 1920s, sparking a major F.B.I. investigation involving J. Edgar Hoover.
Martin Scorsese is, without doubt, one of the most important figures in the development of modern cinema, from his early works like Mean Streets or Taxi Driver through Goodfellas, The Departed and more underrated gems like After Hours, The King of Comedy or Age of Innocence. Far from the impression given that he exclusively makes gangster films his filmography is hugely varied. It is surprising therefore that his first Western is his latest, the epic, grandiose Killers of the Flower Moon, which premiered at Cannes to a rapturous response.
The film sees two of his most frequent collaborators Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro, making their sixth and tenth collaborations with him respectively and their first onscreen appearance together since This Boy’s Life in 1993. Opposite these two Scorsese veterans is Lily Gladstone, who has earned phenomenal praise for her role.
The film is an adaptation of David Grann’s novel of the same name from 2017, which depicted the FBI’s investigation into the murder of numerous Osage County Native Americans in the early part of the 1920s when oil was discovered on the land. One of the main things to remark is this film changing the story’s perspective from the investigators to the perpetrators although there is still a sizable portion in the film’s second half dedicated to the Bureau’s investigation.
While its length may discourage some, coming in at 3 ½ hours like The Irishman before it, rarely does it feel like there is a dull moment as we are introduced to the Osage community run by William King Hale (De Niro) a charming, wealthy individual who claims to care for the community around him but is a Machiavellian individual, always in search of expanding his wealth and land. His nephew Ernest Burkhart is easily guided and vulnerable, marrying into the family of Gladstones Mollie, a Native American with ties to the land.
Shifting between the schemes of Hale and Burkhart and Mollie’s desire to find out the truth about the murders and her grief is a clever dynamic, keeping the audience invested and deepening the links between the characters and constant deception. While the murders themselves are more peripheral, sudden bursts of shocking violence, akin to those in The Irishman are often unsettling and leave a lingering sense of unease and disquiet that seems to permeate through the town. Later, we get a feel for the white townsfolk like buzzards circling, Scorsese building an incredible sense of tension, not without lighter moments deftly handled by the whole cast.
DiCaprio has been singled out for praise in one of his strongest roles for Scorsese, while the pairing again does wonders for Robert De Niro as the slimy and scheming Hale, a spine-chilling villain. Lily Gladstone is truly exceptional, an emotional anchor showing a sense of fire and resistance to the events unfurling, mining extraordinary depth.
Thelma Schoonmaker is one of the key ingredients behind Scorsese’s films and the editing here is noteworthy, keeping it on track, and flowing wonderfully. Rodrigo Prieto who has worked on recent Scorsese films since The Wolf of Wall Street ensures this is another visual feast, capturing the importance of the oil in glorious fashion and delivering a Western that stands out in a genre that has lent itself to some jaw dropping feats over the years.
Robbie Robertson, whose group The Band, was profiled by Scorsese with The Last Waltz, delivers one of his final contributions to music with his score, which adds to the suspense with a blend of Blues, Jazz and Americana, a perfect send-off to a supremely talented and influential musician, its power is added to by moments of silence.
Killers of the Flower Moon is yet another late-career masterpiece from Scorsese, and while its length may be a discussion point the subject matter and style more than warrant it, helping to do the story justice and incorporate multiple perspectives. Every aspect is on song to make this one of his very finest works, and we can only hope that there are more films in him, but this continues a phenomenal late streak for a true cinematic titan.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Chris Connor
Originally published October 8, 2023. Updated October 14, 2023.
