Killers of the Flower Moon (2023, R)

*Premise spoilers.*

Best Picture nominee #4 is a beast of a film, clocking in at nearly three-and-a-half hours—Martin Scorsese is out here like, “Just try and stop me!” It explores an important piece of history and offers up some strong filmmaking, but I had a hard time sustaining my attention throughout, even with breaks.

In the 1920s, oil is discovered on Osage Nation land in Oklahoma, enriching the tribe overnight. Down-on-their-luck white men seek out wealthy Osage women to marry. One such man is Ernest Burkhart, who’s urged on by his uncle. But Ernest’s wife Mollie is increasingly disturbed by the rash of sudden unexplained deaths in her community, including in her own family. Doctors and law enforcement say nothing untoward is going on, but Millie suspects foul play and pushes for an FBI investigation into the deaths.

First off, it’s so despicable but so unsurprising that it’s not enough for these white men to marry Osage women for access to their oil money; they have to kill them (and sometimes their own children!) to secure the riches for themselves. Because they don’t want to share with anyone, and they certainly don’t want to be beholden to their own wives—especially indigenous wives. It burns them up that these Osage folks got such wealth without “earning” it, and they’re more than willing to scheme to take it for themselves.

I’ll say that this film worked for me a lot better than The Irishman did, Scorsese’s last marathon-length Best Picture/Best Director nominee. I find the story more interesting, and various production elements like the cinematography and the score do a great job of setting the tone throughout. I also really like the less straightforward storytelling choices—the final scene of the film is inspired, and the opening sequence is very effective.

For me, though, it definitely drags, and I’m not sure how much of that is the fault of the film vs. my attention span. Sometime I’d like to watch it again, maybe split into two parts, with something stimmy to occupy my hands and help my brain from getting less distracted. (The same is true, to a somewhat lesser extent, with Oppenheimer, which I’ll be posting about next week.)

All the acting is solid. Lily Gladstone is quietly effective as Mollie, a woman who’s repeatedly suffered tremendous loss and refuses to let things lie. They’re nominated for Best Leading Actress, the first Native American performer ever recognized in that category. (I first saw Gladstone in Reservation Dogs when they guest-starred as Daniel’s mom.) Also nominated is Robert de Niro, who’s up for Best Supporting Actor for his understated, creepy performance as Ernest’s uncle William. Leonardo DiCaprio does a nice job with Ernest, a weak-willed man who’s easily led by others. Other members of the talented cast include Jesse Plemons, Tantoo Cardinal (who recently played Maya’s grandma on Echo,) John Lithgow, and Brendan Fraser.

Warnings

Violence, language, drinking/smoking, disturbing images, mild sexual content, and strong thematic elements.