Movie Review | Uneven But Engrossing Drama From Scorsese
Finding flower moon killers is no easy task.
And it's not just the length of the film – nearly three and a half hours – although that's certainly part of it.
An epic Western crime drama based on true and truly horrific events of a century ago, acclaimed director Martin Scorsese's latest film can be seen in many different ways. Among them: a treatise on greed and exploitation and a character study of the deeply flawed man at the center of the story, Ernest Burkhart.
Although not particularly visible, Scorsese's account of the so-called "Reign of Terror" experienced by the Osage Nation, during which many of its members were systematically killed by those seeking oil wealth from Native Americans, is very much a film. immersive and engaging. experience.
In theaters this week and soon on Apple TV+, Flower Moon moves more fluidly than Scorsese's previous film, 2019's The Irishman, occasionally bloated and slightly longer.
This time, one of the stars, Robert De Niro, shares the screen with another Scorsese regular, Leonardo DiCaprio. This is a tandem of actors who first appeared opposite each other 30 years ago in the film This Boy's Life. While the actors get a lot of screen time here, DiCaprio plays Ernest, who arrives in Fairfax, Oklahoma, to work for his farmer uncle, William "The King" De Niro Hale.
After Scorsese shows us the discovery of an underground oil field belonging to the Osage Nation in 1894, which, according to the film's credits, was moved by the United States government to "Indian Territory" in Oklahoma, we see the great riches that await the people Theirs. . .
Ernest was one of many whites who flocked to the city in the 1920s to seek activism. He first drove a cab for his uncle and this was the first time he met Molly Kyle (Lily Gladstone), a member of a wealthy Osage family. William convinces Ernest to meet Molly; If they married, he thought, it would pave the way for Ernest to receive a lucrative inheritance.
Molly seems to know who Ernest is ("a coyote," as she says), but he is clearly pleased, and they marry.
Of course, William's plans went far beyond his plans for Ernest, and under his direction, members of the Osage Nation, many in their 20s and 30s, died mysteriously and without investigation. Scorsese shows some murders, although he doesn't seem as interested as before in presenting the violence in the most spectacular way possible.
Based on investigative journalist David Grenn's 2017 book Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI, the film has been in development for years by Scorsese, who was hired by DiCaprio. Scorsese originally wrote the story about Tom White, an FBI investigator played in the film by The Irishman alum Jesse Plemons. However, the final screenplay, co-written by Eric Roth (Forrest Gump, The Insider), focuses attention on Ernest and, to a lesser extent, Molly. It's a wise decision: as Scorsese says, we've often seen similar approaches aimed at law enforcement.
Unfortunately, Ernest, who claims to be a lover of women and money, turns out to be a disappointing figure. He's certainly involved in his uncle's diabolical missions, but he seems to care, at least somewhat, for Molly, despite some actions that suggest otherwise. You could argue that he's a complex character, but he's never really interesting, which is surprising given the talent of DiCaprio (The Revenant, Gangs of New York).
Meanwhile, William De Niro, the eternal manipulator, borders on caricature, which is definitely disappointing. Scorsese and De Niro had already collaborated on ten films, and you'll find stronger work in the previous nine, most notably 1976's Taxi Driver and 1990's Good Guys.
Elsewhere, the film highlights Gladstone ("Certain Women," "The Dinner Dance"), who grew up on the Blackfeet Reservation in northwestern Montana and is a descendant of the Blackfeet and Nez Perce tribes. Molly is unfortunately absent from most of Flower Moon, but Gladstone's performance still brings a sense of humanity to the proceedings. If his work is not the heart of the film, it is its soul.
Many of the supporting cast bring something to Flower Moon, including Scott Shepard (The Last of Us) as Ernest's murderous brother Byron; John Lithgow ("Bombshell") and Brendan Fraser ("The Whale") as opposing counsel; and several famous musicians, including Jack White, Jason Isbell, Pete Yorn and Sturgill Simpson, the latter playing a larger role than the others.
Although you wish the sum of the parts were greater, there is much to appreciate in this film, including the interestingly constructed sets, as well as the consultation with contemporary Osages, the inclusion of Osages in the cast, and the filming process itself. Flower Moon in Oklahoma, on the Osage Reservation.
Following Grenn's acclaimed book, the film sheds new light on a harrowing chapter of history previously unknown to few.
Scorsese, the Oscar winner for 2006's Cast Away, saves some of his best work for the code in which he appears, offering the latest perspective on what's going on and why it matters.
Killers of the Flower Moon isn't one of his strongest works (and no, it shouldn't be that long), but it's still stronger than many of the director's works.
Killers of the Flower Moon is rated R for violence, some disturbing images and language. Duration: three hours 26 minutes.
