The Flower Moon. The full moon in May as the flowers bloom and announce the arrival of spring.
Everything about Killers of the Flower Moon screams epic from the 3½ hour running time, to the triumvirate of Martin Scorsese, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Robert De Niro, and its relatively unknown story about the murder of Native Americans to steal their oil wealth. I usually prefer to highlight films a little below-the-radar as opposed to the big Hollywood productions. But I’ve been anticipating this movie ever since I read the superb book in 2017 and shortly thereafter hearing about a movie in the works. (Production initially began in 2018 but COVID and other delays pushed it back to 2021.) So, I was ready to attend on opening weekend and after all that build-up, feel like talking about it now. Reviewing the movie also allows me the opportunity to plug the author, David Grann.
Killers of the Flower Moon begins with the Osage tribe burying a peace pipe in a solemn ceremony acknowledging their displacement to Oklahoma and the increasing degradation of their traditions. But soon the tribe’s anguish turns to celebration as oil suddenly gushes out of the ground. It’s raining black gold on the Osage. They are wealthy overnight living in deluxe homes, driving expensive cars, and hiring white servants. But there’s a catch…they must have a white guardian to access their oil money because they are deemed “incompetent” to manage their own financial affairs. Soon, the Osage start to die off one after another under mysterious circumstances. The evil mastermind orchestrating the murders is right there in plain sight.
Robert De Niro plays William, “you can call me King,” Hale who owns lots of land and cattle, but no oil. You’d think De Niro would be satisfied at 80 years old, 100+ movie roles, and eight Academy Award nominations (2 wins), yet somehow he delivers one of his finest performances. This time his signature twinkle in the eye comes off as righteous, but oh so diabolical. By repeatedly asking questions with implied answers, he manipulates his hapless nephew into doing the dirty work. Leonardo DiCaprio is Ernest, an aimless returning WWI veteran whose uncle is his only hope for the future. He can’t resist when Hale “hints” that he pursue Mollie, a quietly confident Osage with full oil headrights. DiCaprio plays against type as an aw-shucks loser whose facial contortions are agonizing as he slowly comprehends that the King is calling on him to kill Native Americans, including members of his own family. Lily Gladstone (First Cow) as Mollie is the heart of the film in a career-defining role. She is a pinnacle of restraint. You may question her twisted relationship with Ernest, but her blank stare conveys deep inner turmoil and pain.
Special recognition must be given to the music. Robbie Robertson composed the soundtrack, his 11th musical collaboration with Scorsese. The two go back to 1978 when Scorsese made the classic concert film, The Last Waltz, in honor of The Band’s final show. Robertson started out in Bob Dylan’s band in the mid-late 1960s, then played lead guitar and wrote songs for The Band, after which he had a long solo career. Throughout the years he worked on TV and film soundtracks, usually with Scorsese. His score for Killers of the Flower Moon has flourishes of bluegrass and blues rock (Jack White makes his presence known) and a recurring pulsing bass that will stay with you. Native American rhythms set the musical template and draw from Robertson’s upbringing. His mother was of Mohawk and Cayuga descent and he grew up on the Six Nations Reserve in Canada. Robertson died at 80 two months before the release of the movie. The film is dedicated to him.
Killers of the Flower Moon is uneven and drags in certain places, particularly in the final hour as Mollie recedes from screen time. However, the story is so engaging and the acting so compelling that despite its length, the movie demands your attention. You may be thinking it’s heading toward a crime procedural, but Scorsese throws us for a loop at the end. It’s a one-of-a-kind epilogue. The daring and sobering film reveals another chapter of our country’s history of systemic racism. (The film also references the KKK and Tulsa Massacres.) As the final credits scrolled, I realized how achingly poetic the title of the movie is. Killers of the Flower Moon indeed.
(Killers of the Flower Moon is currently in theaters before it begins streaming on Apple+ TV. Streaming date is not published yet which indicates that the theater run could be longer than usual, maybe 4-6 weeks.)
D² Rating: ◼◼◼◼☐
Trivia: How many feature films have Scorsese and DiCaprio made together? How many can you name?
Answer: Six – Gangs of New York, The Aviator, The Departed, Shutter Island, Wolf of Wall Street, and Killers of the Flower Moon
Trivia: How many feature films have Scorsese and De Niro made together? How many can you name?
Answer: Ten – Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, New York New York, Raging Bull, The King of Comedy, Goodfellas, Cape Fear, Casino, The Irishman, and Killers of the Flower Moon
* Please see below the movie trailer for comparison with the book and more good reads by David Grann.
After seeing the movie, if you want more background on the Osage people and the beginnings of the FBI by all means read the book. The Native American history is engrossing, and formative years of the FBI are fascinating. (The book’s subtitle indicates this emphasis.) The movie focuses more on the relationship between Ernest and Mollie. The other main difference between the film and the book is that the movie reveals early on who was responsible for the murders. The book uses more of the traditional setup starting with background, followed by the murders, and concluding with the search for justice and identifying later on who was behind the vicious plot.
The Lost City of Z (2009) uncovers one of the great exploration mysteries of the 20th century. British explorer Percy Fawcett made several journeys to Brazil to find the supposed ancient kingdom of El Dorado in the Amazon. He is never seen or heard from again after his third attempt in 1925. Countless people perished over the years trying to find evidence of his party. It’s a riveting account of Fawcett’s obsessive search for the lost city and his own personal journey. James Gray directed the film adaptation in 2016 starring Charlie Hunnan as Fawcett and Tom Holland as his expedition mate.
The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny, and Murder (2023) is the unbelievable story of the H.M.S. Wager and her crew. In 1742, a ramshackle vessel washed up on the coast of Brazil holding 30 emaciated men with one hell of a story to tell. They had been marooned for months before building the small craft that would take them over 3,000 miles of storm-ravaged seas. They were welcomed as heroes. Six months later, however, an even more decrepit ship arrives on the coast of Chile. These three castaways have a remarkably different story. The 30 men were not heroes, but mutineers. And this just in…guess who has just been tasked to direct the film version that will also star one of his favorite actors? You got it. More Scorcese and DiCaprio to look forward to.