Killers of the Flower Moon Review

Osage Indians are systematically slaughtered for their oil rights in early 1920s Oklahoma. Iconic auteur Martin Scorsese and frequent muse Leonardo DiCaprio return in a 206-minute crime epic of murderous greed. Killers of the Flower Moon, based on the nonfiction novel by David Grann, immerses you in a seedy world of good old boy corruption, death, and deceit. Foes feign friendship on a cinematic odyssey that’s beautifully shot but suffers from sluggish pacing. Scorsese’s trademark visual flair and sharp editing highlights a methodical storyline that fatigues from lack of mystery. He explores Osage culture in depth, but the film is primarily about the White men that betrayed them.

Ernest Burkhart (DiCaprio) arrives in Fairfax after a stint as a cook in World War I. He’s met at the bustling train station by hawkers looking for workers in the booming oil industry. Through pure providence, the Osage struck black gold on reservation land. Each tribe member was awarded headrights by the government and reaped enormous wealth in the aftermath. They were the richest people in the world per capita.

Ernest meets his older brother Bryan (Scott Shepherd) at the cattle farm of their uncle. “King” Bill Hale (Robert De Niro) was the most powerful man in Osage County. He served as deputy sheriff and commissioner but also had a hand in every pot. Nothing happened without King’s order or approval. He’d also become a dear friend to the Osage over many years. King tells the obsequious Ernest that everything is crooked. If you’re going to get in trouble, it might as well be big. He gives Ernest a “bucket” to make a living as a chauffer for the affluent Osage.

A Motivated Chauffer

Paramount Pictures
Apple TV+

Mollie (Lily Gladstone) sits in a lawyer’s office waiting for him to approve her monthly allotment. We hear her thoughts as she worries about troubling events that have been brewing in town. A recent rash of unsolved murders were becoming a great concern to the Osage. She also suffered from diabetes and had watched dear relatives die from “wasting” away.

Ernest takes an instant liking to the beautiful Mollie. He offers his services as a driver. Mollie lived with her ailing mother, Lizzie (Tantoo Cardinal). She had two sisters, the rambunctious Anna (Cara Jade Myers) and subdued Minnie (Jillian Dion). King gets word that Ernest had been spending quite a bit of time with Mollie. He gives Ernest a book about Osage culture, history, and language to help him learn to speak their tongue and understand Osage customs. Mollie and her family are worth a fortune in headrights.

Related: Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon: Why Audiences Are So Excited

Killers of the Flower Moon cleverly sets the stage for the labyrinth of lies to come. Scorsese uses still photographs and classic black and white reels to illustrate Osage life. They were stalwart believers in their heritage but readily embraced the spoils of oil wealth. Everyone dressed impeccably, had luxurious homes, fancy cars, and targets on their backs. Indignant Whites interacted with the Osage but felt racially superior. For them, the Osage people were beneath them and didn’t deserve such splendor.

King of Osage County

Paramount Pictures
Apple TV+

Scorsese’s script, co-written with venerated screenwriter Eric Roth (Forrest Gump, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Dune), establishes a bevy of supporting characters integral to the lengthy plot’s development. No one smart gets their hands dirty. Have a simpleton do the job and remain clean as a whistle. There are quite a few speaking roles, but the film admirably makes them distinct and recognizable. This is especially important as the chips begin to fall, and the rats scramble for cover.

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Two key relationships motivate Ernest. DiCaprio, with his jaw jutted out, period teeth, and slow Southern drawl admits to being a “lazy man.” King and Mollie were the pathways to an easy life. But there’s only one master in Fairfax. De Niro’s in top form as a supremely ruthless man playing chess while everyone else fumbles on a checkers board. He pulls strings with deft aplomb as Ernest follows like an obedient dog. You’ll laugh out loud when King has to punish his wayward pet.

Killers of the Flower Moon doesn’t move briskly. Herein lies a major flaw that varies depending on your degree of patience. The characters and environment are undoubtedly engaging. But what happens over an exhausting three hours plus is clear as day within the first 15 minutes. Scorsese’s granularity left my rear end numb in the theater seat. The film could have easily been much shorter. That said, cinephiles who believe Scorsese can do no wrong will enjoy the frosting as much as the cake.

Killers of the Flower Moon respects Osage culture and correctly frames its place in the story. But the individual Native American characters are satellites when they should have been more central and seen. Gladstone disappears from swaths of the film. It’s analogous to Dances with Wolves where a White protagonist’s perspective singularly drives the narrative.

Killers of the Flower Moon is a production of Apple Studios, Imperative Entertainment, Sikelia Productions, and Appian Way Productions. It will be released theatrically on October 20th by Paramount Pictures with a forthcoming streaming premiere on Apple TV+.

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