Killers of the Flower Moon
2023
*****
Director: Martin Scorsese
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Lily Gladstone, Jesse Plemons, Tantoo Cardinal, John Lithgow, Randy Houser, Brendan Fraser, Cara Jade Myers, JaNae Collins, Jillian Dion, Jason Isbell, William Belleau
An oil boom in the 1920s transformed the Osage Reservation in Oklahoma. The sudden wealth attracted an influx of white people, who were ready to con, manipulate, and kill the Osage people to secure the headrights to their land. Ernest Burkhart returns from World War I and begins to work for his uncle Bill Hale, self-proclaimed King of the Osage, who implies that Ernest should pursue Mollie Kyle, a wealthy but unmarried Osage woman. Martin Scorsese's ambitious epic is based on David Grann's 2017 non-fiction book, and it sheds light on a shameful episode of American history. Scorsese's long but enthralling drama brilliantly juggles the various elements of this multi-layered tale, which is simultaneously a compelling historical record, a horrific true crime mystery, and a moving personal story about love and betrayal. The film obviously looks great and the performances are excellent. Robbie Robertson's bluesy soundtrack fits like a glove.
