One of the most shameful and little-known chapters of American history is brought to life on the big screen with Killers of the Flower Moon, a true story of evil and greed versus integrity and nobility. This is the kind of subject that the anti-Critical Race Theory crowd would like to keep out of the classroom, but thankfully there are artists like director Martin Scorsese willing to shine a light on the shadier aspects of our collective national story.
The film is based on the excellent book Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann, and it tells of how the people of the Osage tribe were driven from their original homelands to the desolate prairies of north-western Oklahoma where they were finally left in peace until oil was discovered there in the early 1920s.
Almost overnight the Osage went from some of the poorest people in the country to the richest (per capita) in the world, and suddenly the white man was back to “help” them “manage” their money, in one way or another, whether the Natives liked it or not.
The focus of Scorsese’s film, co-written by Eric Roth (Dune, 2021), is Mollie Burkhart (Lily Gladstone) and her marriage to Ernest Burkhart (Leonardo DiCaprio), who betrays her love and together with his Uncle William Hale (Robert De Niro) poisons Mollie and kills her family in an attempt to gain control of their fortune.
Eventually, after being begged by Mollie and others, the newly formed FBI headed by Tom White (Jesse Plemons) steps in and investigates the murders. Scorsese does an incredible job of juggling the multiple storylines that are covered in the complex book.
There is superb acting here by the entire ensemble cast, which includes guest appearances by John Lithgow, Brendan Fraser, Jason Isbell, Sturgill Simpson, and even Jack White. The standout though is Lily Gladstone, who portrays Mollie as smart, proud and strong, but also vulnerable to the white devils’ shenanigans.
The music by the late Robbie Robertson is perfect and the soundtrack is packed full of old-timey Americana and blues tunes. The cinematography by Rodrigo Prieto is also awesome and captures the on-location beauty of the Oklahoma prairies.
Killers of the Flower Moon has a lengthy runtime, but it is unnoticeable as the intriguing story keeps your mind well occupied. There is an odd but enjoyable end that replaces the standard epilogue text lines with an old-timey radio show that explains what ultimately happened to all of the main characters. Pretty cool.
And speaking of cool, be sure to stick around while all the end credits run. Close your eyes and treat yourself to the sound of rain and other noises from the prairie, absent any other music or noise… probably the most peaceful and enjoyable end credits roll ever. (Of course, I’m sure the filmmakers would rather you kept your eyes open.)
This is an excellent, epic film, expertly crafted, with an important story that is masterfully told. They don’t get much better than this.
