Killers Of The Flower Moon (15)
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Lily Gladstone, Robert De Niro, Jesse PlemonsGenre: Drama
Author(s): Martin Scorsese, Eric Roth
Director: Martin Scorsese
Release Date: 20/10/2023
Running Time: 206mins
Country: US
Year: 2023
Cattle rancher William King Hale is at the forefront of a diabolical plot to steal the Osage fortune in 1920s Oklahoma through violence, intimidation and - ultimately - murder. William's nephew Ernest, who served his country in the First World War, hopes to benefit from the black gold rush. He is encouraged by William to seduce an indigenous woman named Mollie and marry her to inherit the rights to her family's oil.
LondonNet Film Review
Killers Of The Flower Moon (15) Film Review from LondonNet
Brevity is seldom part of the film-making vocabulary of Academy Award-winning writer-director Martin Scorsese, a master of his craft who has released only one picture in the past 20 years – the fantastical adventure Hugo – within touching distance of a two-hour running time. His latest passion project, a meticulously crafted portrait of America’s capitalist past co-written by Forrest Gump scribe Eric Roth, stretches out uncomfortably beyond three hours, including a soporific opening section distinguished by impeccable contributions from production designer Jack Fisk and costume designer Jacqueline West to evoke 1920s Oklahoma…
Based on David Grann’s bestselling book, Killers Of The Flower Moon illuminates the discovery of oil in the land of the Osage Nation, which bestows great wealth on the Native American tribe. Money and status attract covetous eyes and a real-life murder plot unfolds at a pedestrian pace, eventually eliciting a response from the Bureau of Investigation when the death count of indigenous people becomes too great to ignore in Washington DC’s corridors of power. Leonardo DiCaprio delivers a compelling, nuanced performance as one of the greedy white men involved in the despicable plot. He is evenly matched by Lily Gladstone as the quietly spoken Native American wife, unaware that her insulin injections are being poisoned by her spouse.
Well-respected cattle rancher William King Hale (Robert De Niro) is at the forefront of a diabolical plot to steal the Osage fortune through violence, intimidation and – ultimately – murder. William’s nephew Ernest (DiCaprio), who served his country in the First World War, hopes to benefit from the black gold rush. He is encouraged by William to seduce an indigenous woman named Mollie (Gladstone) and marry her to inherit the rights to her family’s oil.
Ernest is delighted to be a pawn in his uncle’s Machiavellian scheme. “I just love money. I love it almost as much as I love my wife,” he whoops after taking Mollie as his wife. As members of Mollie’s family fall ill or suffer accidents, including her mother Lizzie Q (Tantoo Cardinal), sisters Anna (Cara Jade Myers) and Minnie (Jillian Dion), cousin Reta (JaNae Collins) and brother-in-law Henry (William Belleau), BOI agent Tom White (Jesse Plemons) arrives unexpectedly in Osage County to gather evidence of skulduggery and expose the perpetrators.
Killers Of The Flower Moon intoxicates the senses on a big screen but audiences may prefer to wait until the film arrives on the Apple TV+ streaming service to navigate the bloated 206-minute running time. I personally yearned for Scorsese’s long-time editor and collaborator Thelma Schoonmaker to be more heavy-handed in the opening hour before the murderous plot gathers momentum. A brief on-screen appearance by the film-maker underlines his fierce commitment to honouring the subject matter. Staying the course with Scorsese demands fortitude and patience.
– Jo Planter
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