Origin and release year: United States (2023 – Killers of the Flower Moon)
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Lily Gladstone, Robert De Niro, Brendan Fraser, Jesse Plemons, Louis Cancelmi, Jason Isbell, Jack White, John Lithgow, Randy Houser, Sturgill Simpson, Larry Sellers, Cara Jade Myers, Tantoo Cardinal, Steve Witting, Tatanka Means, Scott Shepherd, Pete Yorn, Janae Collins, Jillian Dion, William Belleau, Jack Whitehall
Director: Martin Scorsese
Screenwriter: Martin Scorsese, Eric Roth (based on the book by David Grann)
Synopsis: When oil is discovered in 1920s Oklahoma under Osage Nation land, the Osage people are murdered one by one – until the FBI steps in to unravel the mystery. (IMDb)
Killers of the Flower Moon is based on the true story of Mollie Burkhart (played by Lily Gladstone) who was an Osage oil heiress married to a man named Ernest (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) who arranged for her family to be killed and then poisoned her, prompted by his uncle (Robert De Niro in the film). (slate.com). This article lists up the details from the film that were true and the ones that were fictional.
The acting performances in this film were top-tier, no question. Naturally because the cast consists of the best of the best Hollywood veterans.
Leonardo DiCaprio’s portrayal of his character was completely captivating, even though it wasn’t a standout role compared to some of the others in his filmography. The same could be said for Robert De Niro, but the two very much made the film what it is as integral parts of the narrative.
Someone who did have a standout performance though was Lily Gladstone. Her acting in Killers of the Flower Moon was all the more impactful because it was less focused on action, but more focused on emotionally-charged subtlety that found itself seeping from every line that she spoke. She has this magnetic quality on screen that makes you look forward to each scene the moment she enters and miss her all the more when she’s not there.
The film did feel like it was dragging on for tiny bits of the story where it felt like nothing was happening, but despite its long length it was in no way boring. The story in itself was quite intriguing and the powerplay between the Osage nation and the Americans was gripping.
For this non-American writer, getting to know about the Osage reservation was 90% of the intrigue.It’s a part of history that would’ve been hard to come across if it hadn’t been for this film. It highlighted the entitled brutality that lead to the deaths of innocents for the sake of capitalist gain.
As such, a heartbreaking tone underlies the film and makes it a heavy piece of cinema. Nonetheless, we highly recommend that those who can watch it do so.
What did you think of Killers of the Flower Moon? Let us know in the comments.