Killers of the Flower Moon

Grade: B-

I’m a firm believer of something Roger Ebert once noted about Martin Scorsese’s films. You could WATCH any Scorcese movie with the sound off, or just LISTEN to one without the visuals, and it would still play exceptionally. Killers of the Flower Moon is no different. Everything we hear and see is a feast. Leonardo DiCaprio is Scorcese’s go-to actor, like Robert De Niro was (and is) for so many years. They are appearing onscreen together for the first time since This Boy’s Life 30 years ago. Lily Gladstone gives one hell of a breakout performance, and the large ensemble is no slouch, either. So, it’s my most disappointing moviegoing experience of the year to find out that it ultimately doesn’t hit the stars it tries so hard to shoot for.

Based on a true story that later became a novel by David Grann, Killers of the Flower Moon takes us to Oklahoma in the 1920s. The Osage tribe has struck oil, and become the richest people in the country, if not the world. DiCaprio, hired by his uncle (De Niro), plays a chauffeur for Mollie (Lily Gladstone), and ends up marrying her. Members of Osage start dying mysteriously, often ordered by DiCaprio – and sometimes he gets hands-on with it. The main idea is these old Southern white people are chasing after the oil inheritance money – and when the murders cause complications, they keep killing, to hopefully kill their way out of their problems. Scorcese has always been a master of the gangster crime epics, of which this is one. Though my favorite movie of his will always be Bringing Out the Dead, I believe his Casino accomplished the lengthy crime drama the best. I give Killers of the Flower Moon credit for keeping so many intricate balls in the air, even if it eventually wears thin.

At 3 hours and 26 minutes, it gets to feel very bloated and even pretentious sometimes. They will have no shortage of clips to choose from for the Oscars, as many scenes feel like one such bit after another. There’s one I was positively confused by. Several lines of fire are going around the perimeter of De Niro’s property, flanked by people who are…tending to it? I don’t know what they’re doing, and I have no idea why this is happening, other than an opportunity to get a few great shots. DiCaprio and De Niro do among the best work of their careers. As good as they are apart, they are magnificent together, and it’s been a long time coming to see them share scenes again. Gladstone may end up winning an Oscar, in the most powerful, grounded, and understated performance in the film. It takes a while to see some of them, but we also have Jesse Plemons, John Lithgow, Brendan Fraser, and Jason Isbell. I’d support any acting nominations the movie would get. It’s a huge array of talent – and some amazing individual moments – in search of an editor.

In its first hour (which feels like a few days ago), I figured this was either one of the best movies of the year, or a lot of hot air. I also was planning to write in the review that only Scorcese could get away with a movie like this – back when I was going to give it a pretty high grade. Even with the one I settled on, I still think that’s true.

Grade: B-