Killers of the Flower Moon

⭐ 9.0/10

(Originally written by Tim)

A movie like this makes me question why I rate movies at all. This is a story I loved, directed by a master, starring some of the best actors in movies today. Its easy to have quibbles, which I might get into a bit more, but when a great chef makes you a meal what is there to complain about? I was very excited for this movie, and I thought it was great.

The main negative talking point with this movie is the length. Yeah, its very long, and not the most dynamic movie in the world. But I don't really care. As cheesy as it is to say, I think this is an important story, one that everyone involved seems genuinely passionate about. Its a story about disgusting people doing unimaginable things, and the importance of it in the telling of history is what really gripped me in the book.

I thought Leo and De Niro were exceptional, and Lily Gladstone was overpowering them at times. I don't want to get too deep into the story, but at some point she has a lot less to do, and that can be annoying because she's kind of the main character. But its the story, and its history, and I think the drawn out punishment her and her people go through is intentional.

Production, music, acting, its all 10/10. As I said in my book review I think this is an incredible story. There were some parts of the book I kind of missed, but completely understandable why they wouldn't be included. The spirit of the book is here though, the rotten core at the foundation of America, greed leading to disgusting actions. Another criticism might be that the movie empathizes a bit with the terrible people, but when watching in context with Scorcese's other movies I don't think this is a correct reading. Goodfellas and Wolf of Wallstreet may glamourize evil, or at least make it look exciting, but this movie does not at all. It is stark in its depiction of violence, unflinching, with evil so common place its shocking. The Osage were not treated as human, and this movie lovingly gives them attention, but then hits you in the face with their brushed-off murders. I think a core part of Scorcese's work is men doing awful things and then wondering if there is any possible redemption for them, and that shows up here. This movie felt like a continuation of the threads that run through all his movies, and I really liked that combined with this historical backdrop.

The ending is a choice, and while I don't think I loved it, it was genuine. I could have used more Jesse Plemons, whose story is one of my favourites from the book. But this is a story about the Osage, not about an awesome Texas Ranger who becomes an FBI agent and investigates this serial elimination of a people. I think my favourite aspect of the movie was the casting on the fringes. This is a movie of memorable faces, people that seem like they truly live in that time. The setting is so perfectly crafted too, just a complete world that sucked me in and put me in that time.

I have lots of good to say about the movie, but for whatever reason it feels like a movie I need to defend. Honestly its just hard to recommend a movie of this length, because it feels like such an artistic endeavour that not everyone might connect with. I think Scorcese has earned the long leash, and he can do whatever he wants, and if you don't like what he puts out you can't argue with the vision, artistic flair, and epic nature of his work.