Killers of the Flower Moon – Official trailer with Leonardo DiCaprio
Killers of the Flower Moon is Martin Scorsese – plus his most frequent collaborators Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro – at their best and angriest.
In late 1910s Oklahoma, the tribe of Native American people known as the Osage struck oil and became unfathomably rich, putting targets on their backs in the process.
Soon afterwards, predatory white settlers descended on their community and spun a decades-long scheme to steal their newfound wealth, led by ageing gangster William ‘King’ Hale (played by De Niro).
Between 1918 and 31, more than 60 Osage perished in mysterious circumstances, and Killers exposes the motives and complacency behind this period that became known as the Reign of Terror.
The narrative is largely told from the perspective of King’s doltish nephew Ernest Burkhart (DiCaprio), who infiltrates the Osage Nation by marrying Mollie Kyle (Lily Gladstone).
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Their marriage is infused with sick love, gaslighting and abuse, observed perfectly by Gladstone’s steady stoicism and a masterclass in repugnance from DiCaprio.
While Mollie remains the soulful center of the piece, embodying the Osage plight until she’s disappointingly absent from much of the third act, Ernest is a hurricane around her, all but falling into the rapacious scheme through sheer thickheadedness and thoughtless opportunism.
Underneath DiCaprio’s initial charm is one of the best and slimiest performances of his career, a hapless Jordan Belfort with triple the grime.
Based on the book Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann, Scorsese’s adaptation ruthlessly digs into the entitlement and racism that fuelled the murders.
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Famously known for his sophisticated organized crime dramas, Killers’ earth-shattering conclusion is so infuriating precisely because of the lack of organization. Revisiting his themes from The Wolf of Wall Street, DiCaprio’s protagonist is once again motivated by senseless, chaotic greed that left countless victims murdered and disenfranchised while the perpetrators blindly assumed they’d get away with it.
Yet, many did and continue to get away with these crimes. Much has already been said about the Osage involvement behind the scenes as well as in front of the camera, which helps pinpoint how vital the film’s messaging is. Native Americans were killed for a step up the ladder a hundred years ago, and in the 21st century, many more continue to become victims of unsolved murders and disappearances.
Through consultants and authentic casting, Killers of the Flower Moon transcends the style and storytelling of Scorsese’s breakneck crime romps; there are plenty of magnificent set pieces, razor-sharp two-handers and even some wry, dark humour, but this never overshadows the Osage.
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The tribe’s involvement also allows for some of the director’s most compelling and abstract visual storytelling in years, with many of the Osage scenes leaning into the tribe’s rituals and mythology to stirring results.
Gladstone’s comparatively limited screen time is perhaps the film’s biggest flaw but, unfortunately, the horrific narrative constructed by Ernest and King demands it. Moreover, despite only appearing fleetingly in Killers’ final hour, her comforting yet embittered presence makes her scenes easily some of the best across the marathon 200-minute runtime.
With a stellar cast, impeccable direction and a propulsive score, once again Scorsese’s longtime editor Thelma Schoonmaker is the film’s hero, turning what could have been a three-and-a-half hour slog into one of the most exhilarating films of the year.
Killers will be coming to Apple TV+ in the near future, but its limited theatrical run is just as deserving of the surprise success of Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer back in July. Another triumph from Hollywood’s best living filmmaker.
Killers of the Flower Moon releases in theaters on Friday, October 20 and will later be available on Apple TV+.
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