Killers of the Flower Moon (2023)- BFI London Film Festival 2023

Review

206min

Genre:       Fact-based, Crime, Drama, Romance

Director:     Martin Scorsese

Cast:         Leonardo DiCaprio, Lily Gladstone, Robert De Niro…and more

Writers:     Martin Scorsese, Eric Roth and David Grann

-Synopsis-

In 1920s Oklahoma a series of unexplained murders and exploitation of the oil-rich Osage Nation sparks an FBI investigation which uncovers a sobering conspiracy, triggering the breakdown of communities and forcing a man caught between two worlds to fatefully choose a side, in this sweeping period drama adaptation of a remarkable yet unsurprising true crime story from the director of ‘GoodFellas’ and ‘Gangs of New York’.

It’s a rare thing indeed for a filmmaker to be active and consistently cranking out pictures into his eight decade, and even more rare for the high quality of their acclaimed work to have endured from the start of their career to the point where every release is a cross-generational event with high expectations—and rarest of all to consistently meet or even exceed those expectations.

Now nearly sixty years and almost thirty movies into his feature film career, the great Martin Scorsese reminds us (as if we needed it) why the diminutive New Yorker is one of the greatest directors in the history of cinema, and one of its most devoted champions. Teaming up with screenwriter Eric Roth (Munich, Dune) to adapt David Grann’s non-fiction book and deliver an epic and soulful early 20th century US frontier crime drama, delivering a masterful and stunning period meditation on greed, indigenous exploitation, and America’s recent colonialist past which loudly resonates a century on.

Leonardo DiCaprio stars as booze and money-loving work-shy World War I veteran Ernest Burkhart, migrated to the oil-rich Osage County in Oklahoma to make his bones working for his uncle William “King Hale” (Robert De Niro)—an influential pillar of both the rich but ailing Native American community and the blue-collar white locals, with his own intentions to infiltrate the Osage’s wealth. But his plans to integrate families for lucrative future oil rights become complicated when Ernest’s marriage to sickly full-blooded Osage heiress Mollie Kyle (Lily Gladstone) becomes more than just duty, and her family suffers suspicious tragedy after suspicious tragedy, as Hale’s ambitions take a dark turn which threatens the entire future of the tribe, bringing federal investigator Jesse Plemons (Tom White) and his men down from Washington to unravel the conspiracy and topple a kingpin.

During Hollywood’s long history of depicting Native Americans and indigenous people on the screen, only the last few decades have seen a shift towards fairer and more accurate representations, with Tinseltown’s efforts delivering less than flattering depictions in mostly 19^th century-set Westerns and frontier tales made in the first half of the last century (with some exceptions of course), whilst more contemporary dramas in more recent years have done much to change those perceptions and shine a fresh light on the original peoples of the continent. Now Scorsese helps to fill the gap between eras with an early 20^th century true crime saga and sweeping character study to do justice to the poignant memories of the Osage nation.

It will come as no surprise from a Martin Scorsese period picture that ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ is a masterfully crafted piece of cinematic art, with the look and the sound to match. Beautifully shot by now regular Scorsese collaborator Mexican cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto (Silence, The Irishman), who vividly captures the majesty of the Oklahoman plains and landscapes, and the sterling costume and production designs which vividly recreate the US of the 1920s.

The atmosphere of the piece meanwhile is created by another regular Marty collaborator in their final partnership before his passing, as the late, great ‘The Band’ guitarist/singer and rock & roll legend Robbie Robertson creates a folk and bluegrass score befitting early 20^th century rural America—led by guitars and steel strings, harmonicas and fiddles, combined with the beats and rhythms of Native American music to help drive and pulsate the narrative tension. All of which is combined with a folk, popular and native music soundtrack from the era to great effect.

Given all his experience and aptitude for them, it’s no surprise that Scorsese has delivered another sterling crime saga here, complete with dastardly deeds and the odd bit of graphic violence, law enforcement, and even a bit of courtroom drama—but of course ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ works on more levels than that and is more focused on those who suffer from them all. For one it’s a gorgeous yet sombre display of and tribute to Native American culture and history in general, and of the Osage in particular, filling in certain knowledge gaps which general audiences might have between what happened to some of America’s indigenous peoples between the 19^th century frontier “cowboys & indians” period and the present day.

More than anything of course this is a character piece and Scorsese assembles a large ensemble cast combining notable white performers with a large cast of Native American and even genuine Osage talents. And after re-igniting his legendary cinematic partnership with Robert De Niro for 2019’s ‘The Irishman’ he reunites with his more recent muse Leonardo DiCaprio a decade after ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’. Bringing both superstars on screen together for the first time in thirty years since ‘This Boy’s Life’ for the pair to deliver as unforgettable a duo as the 1993 film which first hinted at DiCaprio’s potential to become one of the finest actors of his generation, which he has since decidedly fulfilled and further underlined with his remarkably nuanced performance as a deeply flawed and selfish yet somehow sympathetic figure here. But it’s arguably Lily Gladstone as Mollie Kyle who makes the more unexpected and deepest impression with her performance as the noble but stretched moral core of the piece, representing the proud but faint beating heart of an ailing Osage nation

Far from his most memorable film, even in recent times, ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ will not be for everyone. It’s long, really long, and at just shy of three-and-a-half hours perhaps unnecessarily so given the relatively simple and largely linear nature of the storyline, needless to say it might prove too deliberate and ponderous for some. Unsurprisingly considering the bleak nature of the narrative, and unlike some of his earlier tales based on true events, the director and his co-screenwriter Eric Roth take little artistic license here so there’s very little levity and only the odd smattering of humour, plus a weighty ominous energy throughout.

It’s clear that at this stage of his life and career though that Scorsese isn’t interested in mass-consumable media and Hollywood product, and in reality he never really was. Instead he seems to be focused on telling truthful tales which honestly reflect the human condition and all its dark spots, perhaps in the hope of bringing some light, and doing it all his way. So get on board if you will but expect nothing else—the resulting ride for us being a beautiful and haunting trip we wouldn’t have missed for the world.

The Bottom Line…

A striking and moving true crime American period drama mediation on greed and indigenous exploitation, ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ asks for the audience’s patience and in return delivers a bleakly beautiful take on the darkness and nobility of the human condition, through a historical tribute to the first nations of North America and a real story warning parable about unchecked capitalism. Underlining Martin Scorsese’s well-established reputation as one of the greatest living masters of cinema, and a true champion for the art of filmmaking.

‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ is out in cinemas on the 20th of October, and will stream on AppleTV+ sometime thereafter.

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