Aaron Barrow
“Killers of the Flower Moon” is a brutal, unrelenting show of force from Martin Scorsese that balances its ferocity with sincerity and profundity, as the mortifying events that transpired have been erased from the public’s conscience over time.
Scorsese based the film on author David Grann’s 2017 novel, “Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI,” which follows the true story of the organized murders of wealthy Osage people in the 1920s and the investigations that followed.
While the novel mostly delves into the investigative aspects, director Martin Scorsese’s adaptation takes on a different perspective – much to the film’s benefit.
Scorsese shows the events through the eyes of not only those most deeply affected by these murders, but also by those who committed them. It is a bold tactic, but it pays off tremendously.
While many films of this nature feel half-baked and disingenuous in their approach to retelling true events for the sake of winning awards, Scorsese is clearly more invested in telling this story in the most respectful way possible. That said, the film will likely collect plenty of nominations and accolades come awards season.
Leonardo DiCaprio, without hyperbole, gives what might be the very best performance of his career. The award-winning actor’s work is as complex and multifaceted as the real-life figure he portrays – a deeply misguided and emotionally deranged fool who is as much of a danger to himself as he is to everyone else.
Lily Gladstone gives a powerful and nuanced turn in a breakout performance that is destined to cement her as a household name.
Ten-time Scorsese collaborator Robert DeNiro gives a less nuanced, but equally powerful performance as William Hale, the man behind the slaughter. Hale is a despicable whirlwind of greed and malice who appears complex at first, but is revealed to be wholly evil as the film progresses and the cracks in his wholesome facade begin to widen.
With a hefty runtime of nearly three-and-a-half hours, many will grow tired of the film’s slow, demanding crawl. These issues are valid and not at all indicative of the maturity, or lack thereof, of certain moviegoers. As someone who found the work as meaningful and heart-wrenching as it was intended to be, I found every second to be worth it in the long run. I do strongly encourage those who love film to take part in the ride – regardless of how emotionally taxing it may be.
Could the film have been cut down a bit? Absolutely. Could some of the technical aspects have been touched up prior to release? For sure. But this film is greater than the sum of its parts, and so is the message it conveys.
What Scorsese and his team have crafted is one of the most important films not only of the year, but of his entire career.
Few films have impacted me in the way that this one has, not because of the strength of its monumental production, but because of how it transcends the very frame it inhabits. In a roundabout way, that is precisely what makes cinema special and vitally important within our culture. Or, at least it should be. Scorsese grasps this. Hopefully, others will too.
“Killers of the Flower Moon” is now in theaters worldwide.
