'Killers of the flower Moon' review: An enveloping saga of greed and corruption

Film Killers of the flower MoonCast Leonardo DiCaprio Robert De Niro Lily Gladstone Jesse Plemons Tantoo Cardinal Cara Jade Myers JaNae Collins Jillian DionDirector Martin ScorseseRating 355Runtime 206 minScorsesersquos ambitious adaptation of David Grannrsquos 2017 nonfiction investigative book spanning a sixyear history from 1920 until 1926 of the same name is a disturbing depiction of vile behavior hiding in plain sight shrouded as it is by emotional affectationScorsese has seemingly mellowed with age His latest directorial effort is not a traditional gangster picture punctuated with sumptuous visceral violence but it definitely is a story about corrupt violent conscienceless men who donrsquot hesitate to go the distance for what they desire to achieve Itrsquos basically an intimate and detailed immersion in a horrific crime committed by predatorsldquoDo you see the wolves in this picturerdquo Ernest Burkhardt Leonardo DiCaprio reads aloud while interacting with his family The wolves here are all in sheeprsquos clothing and the Osage people simple folk with unheralded riches find it difficult to sift through this overeager bunch of White helpers just scheming and waiting to pounce on them as preyAfter being pushed off their property and relocated to the presumed wasteland of Oklahoma around the turn of the last century 1920s the Osage discover oil on their land But itrsquos not a happy circumstance even if it gives them riches beyond all imaginingsThe very people who drove them out now want a piece of this action and the Kingpin is none other than William King Hale Robert De Niro a legend whose wily political machinations made him an ally to both the Osage and the white people while busy hatching schemes to line his pockets any which way Hale manipulates his nephew Ernest who has recently returned home from the war into wooing one of the wealthy Osage ladies Mollie Lily Gladstone with the eventual aim of becoming sole heir to the Mollies Osage family wealth The Osage people are being murdered one by one and its not long before an investigative agency steps in to unravel the mystery Mollie Burkhardt obviously didnrsquot know that she would create history by helping found the FBI thoughThe film presents injustice as intrinsic to the formation of wealth and inequity and refers to pervasive horrors of a century with telling pointers to the Tulsa Massacre and the Klu Klux KlanThe script a tapestry of enormous cultural wealth and intricate understanding by Eric Roth and Scorsese slowburns around Ernest Mollie and Hale as they navigate through romance vilest forms of corruption and death This historical drama is also populated with unforgettable lesser characters and traditional passages that bring to light the ethnic riches of a fast depleting tribeJesse Plemons as a Federal agent who leads the investigation into the Osage murders Jason Isbell as Bill Smith a brotherinlaw of Ernest John Lithgow and Brendan Fraser as opposing attorneys Tantoo Cardinal as Molliersquos mother and a varied array of musicians including Charlie Musselwhite Sturgill Simpson Pete Yorn Jack White are some of the noteworthys The musical coda at the end a ldquotrue crimerdquo radio broadcast has Scorsese lending historic weight through an enlivening cameoDe Niro unleashes sheer brilliance as the sociopath who can sell murder with guile DiCaprio is an effective foil as the easily manipulated nephew who is looking for roots DiCapriorsquos Ernest gets visibly more complex as his love for Mollie gets more and more entrenched in Halersquos villainy But itrsquos certainly Lily Gladstone who steals the show while playing the role of Mollie with an understated grounded but dignified elegance of thought and body without leaning into melodramaRodrigo Prietorsquos camera captures history with intensity and native ingenuity Robbie Robertsonrsquos minimalistic score underscores the character and depth of the narrative while lending tension and momentum to the essay The narrative is richly imbued with a craftsmanship that lures you in even through its slow moving sequences and pacekilling fillersThe film focuses largely on character development and visual story telling craft Thelma Schoonmakerrsquos editing may bear close scrutiny because of the overindulgence in runtime but it goes without saying that she is also partly responsible for the consistent rhythm that keeps the audience enslaved to the screen all through what may seem like an overly ambitious maybe unwieldy to some 3 hours and 26 minute perspicacious and complex entreaty

'Killers of the flower Moon' review: An enveloping saga of greed and corruption

Film: Killers of the flower Moon
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Lily Gladstone, Jesse Plemons, Tantoo Cardinal, Cara Jade Myers, JaNae Collins, Jillian Dion
Director: Martin Scorsese
Rating: 3.5/5
Runtime: 206 min

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Home / Entertainment / Hollywood News / Article / 'Killers of the flower Moon' review: An enveloping saga of greed and corruption

'Killers of the flower Moon' review: An enveloping saga of greed and corruption

Film: Killers of the flower MoonCast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Lily Gladstone, Jesse Plemons, Tantoo Cardinal, Cara Jade Myers, JaNae Collins, Jillian DionDirector: Martin ScorseseRating: 3.5/5Runtime: 206 min

Trending Stories

Latest Photos

Latest Videos

Latest Web Stories

Mid-Day Fast

Film: Killers of the flower Moon
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Lily Gladstone, Jesse Plemons, Tantoo Cardinal, Cara Jade Myers, JaNae Collins, Jillian Dion
Director: Martin Scorsese
Rating: 3.5/5
Runtime: 206 min