For those who play the lottery it must be immensely irritating that the winners of truly massive jackpots seem to be the sort of people who couldn’t sit the right way round on a lavatory and struggle with basic numeracy that it is a wonder they can complete a lottery ticket. It’s the sort of contempt that De Niro’s well connected cattle man William Hale regards the Native American Osange people who inherit immense wealth when oil is found on their land. Except here the Osange people have a stoicism and quiet dignity that so many lottery winners lack. Killers of the Flower Moon is the latest Scorsese epic, and it is truly epic running just shy of three and a half hours, based on the true story recounted in David Grann’s best selling book.
With long time collaborators De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio playing opposite each other for the first time they form a brilliant trio with Lily Gladstone as Mollie a member of the Osange tribe and unexpectedly wealthy , something that Hale has his eye on. He welcomes his nephew Ernest (DiCaprio) home form the First World War taking him under his wing right from the start telling Ernest to refer to him as King, a self-anointed name, and Hale’s influence will be insidious encouraging Ernest to further a friendship and romance with Mollie. There is of course an ulterior motive as once married Ernest and in turn Hale will have claim on her wealth should anything happen to her. And something happening to her is more than likely with the Osange people steadily passing away in circumstances than would warrant at the very least a raised eyebrow except none of the deaths are ever investigated even when the person has shot themselves in the back of the head in a suicide that makes Jeffery Epstein’s look credible.
Orchestrating all of this is Hale and his network of enablers too dim to see that this will all catch up with them but relishing the inherited spoils of their murderous spree. And it’s Mollie and her money that Hale has is eyes on manipulating Ernest into administering a medicine for her diabetes that worsens her condition. With the bodies piling up and Hale’s influence extending further and his wealth getting ever larger it soon becomes too much for the federal authorities to ignore in what was the fledgling days of the FBI and the film works its way towards whether Ernest will protect his uncle or do the right thing by his wife lily.
Scorsese has fashioned a remarkable true story that, like his gangster films, frames the rise of power enforced by violence and the violence at times is shocking in both its explicitness and the casual way that it is despatched by Hale’s men and even when the Osange tribal leaders send a representative to Washington to raise their concerns with the Indian Affairs Office he is found dead in a ditch before he even makes it to DC.
Scorsese’s regulars are as good as might be expected. De Niro’s seemingly benign Hale hides a manipulative and avaricious man only too happy to describe the Osange as, ‘the most beautiful people’ before having them killed. DiCaprio is good as the greedy inadequate Ernest unable to stand up to his uncle and easily swayed into carrying out his bidding only too keen to tell others ‘I just love money!’ And Gladstone as his wife Mollie has a quiet dignity and strong resolve yet unable to resist the charm of DiCaprio’s Ernest never quite sure of his presumed sincerity towards her.
Killers of the Flower Moon is Scorsese near the peak of his powers in what is an undoubtedly an overlong film unlikely to have audiences revisiting it in the way of his beloved classic ‘Goodfellas’ but its themes of corruption, power and racism are as relevant as ever marking this out as a significant reminder from what America arose.
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Here’s the Killers of the Flower Moon trailer…..
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