Killers of the Flower Moon delivers scale and ambition without sacrificing heart or narrative impact. Truly a masterful work and Martin Scorsese’s most satisfying film in some time.
KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON
LONDON FILM FESTIVAL REVIEW
As gallant a crusader for the cinematic experience though he may be, it’s somewhat odd to think that Martin Scorsese has gone on to become one of the biggest beneficiaries of the streaming boom in all of Hollywood.
From the very beginning, Martin Scorsese’s unbridled love for cinema has been the very backbone of his filmmaking ethos, however, as time has passed, this affection has become relentlessly tested by the system around him. As openly admitted by the man himself, the unrelenting Hollywood machine has slowly but surely ground Scorsese down, with the deeply personal, but financially unsuccessful, Silence marking the moment he finally said goodbye to the traditional studio system (seemingly) forever.
That was back in 2016, and guess what came along soon after? That’s right, the rapid fire rise of the streamers.
With bundles of cash and an overt desire to allow known directors to do with it as they please, new Hollywood players like Netflix and now Apple would swiftly woo filmmakers like Scorsese their way, transforming the movie landscape as they went. However, despite being a huge critic of the streaming model, Scorsese would soon find himself a key part of it, with this new found relationship clearly imbuing the director with a new lease of life as he could now tell the kind of stories traditional studios wouldn’t touch, a trend that has continued with Killers of the Flower Moon.
At the turn of the 20th century, oil brought a fortune to the Osage Nation, who became some of the richest people on the planet overnight. However, the wealth of these Native Americans would immediately attract white interlopers, who manipulated, extorted, and stole as much Osage money as they could before resorting to murder. Based on a true story and told through the romance of Ernest Burkhart (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Mollie Kyle (Lily Gladstone), Killers of the Flower Moon is an epic western crime saga where true love intersects with unspeakable grief.
Considering the incredible strength and depth of Martin Scorsese’s filmography, it perhaps gets a little lost in the shuffle just how much of a historian he is. From Raging Bull to Goodfellas to Gang of New York to The Wolf of Wall Street, Scorsese’s innate ability to pick up on little pockets of unseen American history and seed them in the consciousness of audiences worldwide is unparalleled.
These unique, dark, often bloody enclaves in the American dream are where Scorsese has found frequent success through the years, and he’s done so again with Killers of the Flower Moon. Based on the novel of the same name and centering on the very real murders of the oil rich Osage Native Americans in early 20th century Oklahoma, this is precisely the area within which Scorsese thrives.
At once thoroughly gripping and utterly traumatizing, this is a story that Scorsese has no issue throwing us deep into the heart of, inviting us to allow its heartbreak and its tragedy to wash over us. As much a true crime whodunit as it is a sprawling historical drama, Killers of the Flower Moon sees its director operating at a level we haven’t seen in quite some time.
Epic in scale but wholly (and tragically) intimate in approach, the film showcases the awe-inspiring range of Scorsese in full flow, as he ensures we feel both the scale of the story’s atrocities and the immense toll they take. Although feeling like something of a historical footnote, the Osage murders nonetheless speak to wider schisms within American society, however, Scorsese never allows his film to become overwhelmed by any of this, always ensuring we feel the deeply personal sorrow of the story as fully and effectively as possible.
Clocking in at a hefty 206 minutes, Scorsese makes sure we feel the sheer weight and immense grandeur of Killers of the Flower Moon’s story from the word go, yet, despite its bulky running time, the film’s true success lies in never letting us feel it. Wonderfully paced, beautifully shot, and masterfully plotted, the film demands your attention before coaxing us through a plot that drifts from murder mystery to historical epic to courtroom drama to gangster flick in a wonderfully balanced blend of genres that keep you hooked throughout.
While the unwieldy duration of The Irishman could be keenly felt throughout, Scorsese has truly found his groove here, offering something that may appear just as bloated, yet lands somewhere far more satisfying. Having never shied away from a lengthier duration his entire career, Scorsese’s success rate with them has always been something of a mixed bag, yet Killers of the Flower Moon hits that sweet spot.
As is always the way these days, an unwarranted level of attention will undoubtedly be paid to Killers of the Flower Moon’s duration, however, the film’s running time positively flies by, helped no end by a cast at the top of their game and in perfect harmony with their material. As the film’s two biggest names, Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro are as excellent as you expect them to be under Martin Scorsese’s direction, with De Niro, in particular, in fine form as he rolls back the years with a performance of pure charm and menace.
While looking almost hilariously grimaced and sporting a hypnotically dorky haircut throughout, DiCaprio is nonetheless an effective presence, one that, despite his headline billing, never once steals the show. That show stealing, in the most positive way possible, is very much done by his co-star.
Calm and collected, yet carrying the weight of unfathomable tragedy in her eyes and holding barely contained rage within, Lily Gladstone may have far less dialogue than either of her illustrious co-stars, yet outshines them both. It’s a truly striking performance that manages to get more with less, as Gladstone’s Molly makes the film hers with barely a word uttered at times.
The formidable steeliness Molly brings to the screen in the face of such unthinkable grief and extraordinary injustice is as monumental as it is restrained, ensuring that, no matter where the story goes around her, she remains the focal point at all times. Despite a relatively truncated filmography compared to her big named co-stars, Gladstone by is far and away Killers of the Flower Moon’s biggest success story, and, all being well, should put her front and center come awards season.
Delivering scale and ambition without sacrificing heart or narrative impact, Killers of the Flower Moon is truly a masterful work and Martin Scorsese’s most satisfying film in some time. Bolstered by a trio of fantastic performances, led by the striking Lily Gladstone, Killers of the Flower Moon blends a propulsive plot, masterful pacing, and raw, impactful tragedy to produce a truly sensational slice of Scorsese cinema that suggests streaming may be more of his bag than he’s letting on.
Killers of the Flower Moon comes exclusively to theaters on October 20th.