Killers of the Flower Moon (15)

Dir: Martin Scorsese

Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Lily Gladstone, Jesse Plemons, Tantoo Cardinal, John Lithgow, Brendan Fraser

Martin Scorsese’s masterfully crafted historical drama could have been his magnum opus but any emotional attachment gradually fizzles out due to the film’s unwarranted three-and-a-half hour runtime

Ever since I have been following film I have been a huge fan of Martin Scorsese. I would alone in saying he is arguably the most acclaimed and influential directors to have ever worked in the industry. For the past fifty years, the eighty year old has consistently produced masterpiece after masterpiece, and is forever changing his filmmaking techniques to appeal to the modern audience.

Like many films from his back catalogue, the latest film from the legendary auteur focuses on the greed and criminal activities of white American people. However, as the film progresses it gradually begins to play out unlike any other Scorsese crime film, such as Goodfellas (1990) or Casino (1995). This is mostly in down to extensive rewrites that were undertaken during the film’s lengthy pre-production by Scorsese and co-writer, Eric Roth. Before he would go on to make the critically acclaimed, and also lengthy, The Irishman in 2019, Scorsese was given a copy of David Grann’s harrowing true crime novel, Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI. As you may have guessed from the novel’s long and blunt title, it tells the shocking and overlooked true story of how countless, wealthy Osage Native Americans were brutally murdered by white men in the early 1920’s – to claim the head rights on their oil money.

Once he read the book, Scorsese along with Roth, set out to write a procedural, with long-time collaborator, Leonardo DiCaprio in the role of BOI agent, Tom White, as he investigates the suspicious murders of the indigenous people in and around Osage County. After reassessing the script, Scorsese and Roth came to the conclusion that the story of which they had written had been seen time and time again, and as a result, decided to turn the script “inside-out”. Rather than tell the story from the outside, through the eyes of the law, they decided to tell it from the inside, giving a more detailed look at the Osage people and the horrors they had to deal with.

As the film opens, we see a ceremonial ritual performed by the Osage, as they sombrely bury a peace pipe, symbolizing their assimilation into white American society. It is during this ceremony that several of the Osage discover oil gushing from the ground on their native land, resulting in the the tribe becoming some of the wealthiest people in the world. In 1919, we are introduced to the gullible, Ernest Burkhart (Leonardo DiCaprio), as he returns from active service in World War I. Ernest has returned to Fairfax, Oklahoma to live with his brother, Byron (Scott Shepheard) on the large reservation ranch owned by their wealthy uncle, William Hale (Robert De Niro), who insists everyone calls him “King”.

Hale is already benefiting financially from his longstanding ‘friendship’ with the Osage community but like many of Scorsese’s real life criminals such as Jordan Belfort or Henry Hill, he is always hungry for more power and wealth. It is not long before Hale manipulates his dopey nephew into marrying Molly (Lily Gladstone), a member of the Osage community, who stands to inherit a large fortune. Over the next few years, close members of Molly’s family, including her three sisters, begin to die in suspicious circumstances, along with any private investigator or member of the indigenous tribe who stands between Hale and his potential Osage fortune.

Scorsese has long been associated with the gangster genre, as he thrives when focusing on organised crime, which is well and truly in his comfort zone. There have been examples of Scorsese venturing into foreign territory, with the likes of the family adventure film Hugo (2011) and psychological mystery, Shutter Island (also starring DiCaprio). ‘Killers of the Flower Moon‘ is a nice middle ground for Scorsese as it plays out more like a western but still has all the trademarks of a classic Scorsese gangster flick; There is the rise and fall narrative, seen in the aforementioned Goodfellas and The Wolf of Wall Street (2013). There is the mirrored male leads, here we have the young and naïve Ernest against the conniving and ever looming figure of William Hale, a dynamic not too dissimilar to DiCaprio and Daniel Day Lewis’ in Gangs of New York (2002).

Despite these familiar set ups, ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ stands out on its own for one simple reason – Lily Gladstone. Most of Scorsese’s movies have antiheroes or criminals serving as the focal point of the narrative, leaving very little room for sympathy when these generally diabolical characters suffer from their inevitable fall from grace. This latest film, however, with Lily Gladstone’s character Molly, we have someone to root for. In the midst of all the murders and corruption that plays out throughout the movie, Gladstone serves as the film’s beating heart, as we see her fall in love with a man who is only looking out for himself in order to feed his own financial desires. No one suffers from more pain emotionally or physically throughout the movie than Molly, and seeing her suffer as her family members are bumped off one by one is actually heart-breaking, something you do not usually see from a Scorsese crime movie.

The main issue I have with the film, however, is simple – its duration. I am not one to scoff at a film being too long, I am firm believer a film can be any length as long as it justified its runtime, whether that be short or long. I have the same reservations about this as I did with The Irishman four years ago, and I put it down to both films being produced by streaming companies. Despite having a theatrical release, albeit shorter than a standard run, ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ was produced by Apple TV+, with the intention of finding the majority of its audience through streaming. When it comes to producing movies, most big production companies would not allow a film to be three-and-a-half hours long, as it is not financially viable. You get less screenings in a day due to the length, and unless it is a huge blockbuster such as Oppenheimer or Avengers: Endgame, it is likely to deter audiences from sitting in a cinema for such a long period of time. When a film is produced by a streaming giant however, they are well aware a film can be paused and restarted at will by the viewers within the comfort of their homes, so a movies runtime will not impact on viewing figures.

I feel that Scorsese and frequent collaborator and editor, the fantastic Thelma Schoonmaker, have lost their way in the editing room, much like they did with The Irishman, refusing to leave scenes on the cutting room floor. While I never at any point found myself bored or losing interest in the film, the central figure of Lily Gladstone’s Molly, whom the film’s emotional beats solely depend on, is gradually side-lined, particularly in the film’s third act. The longer the film play out without Gladstone appearing on screen, I could feel my emotional investment in the film start to dwindle, ultimately resulting in a finale that left we with no emotional pay off. If the film was trimmed to make a more structurally tight story, there is no doubt this film could have been a masterpiece.

Despite my issues with the runtime, there is no questioning the film from a technical stand point. Scorsese’s direction is as good as ever and further cements him as one of the best directors to have ever lived. Jack Fisk‘s manages to perfectly encapsulates a pivotal time in American history with his intricate and extensive production design, much like he did with Paul Thomas Anderson‘s There Will Be Blood (2007) – another film that focuses on greed and oil. Then there is Robbie Robertson’s thumping score that adds a heartbeat throughout the film, providing the much needed tension to keep film’s momentum throughout the lengthy runtime.

The performances by the leading trio are all excellent, DiCaprio and De Niro are in very familiar territory in similar roles to what they have played before in their long and illustrious careers, but it is Lily Gladstone’s who steals the show with a mature and grounded performance that refuses to lean into melodrama, allowing DiCaprio and De Niro to give the more dramatic and showy performances.

‘Killers of the Flower Moon‘ is a technical marvel and will no doubt get a hatful of nominations at the upcoming Academy Awards but despite its strong performances and powerfully tragic story, it loses its way and emotional core as a result of an enduring runtime.

Killers of the Flower Moon is now showing in UK Cinemas