Featuring Leonardo DiCaprio as
Ernest Burkhart, Robert De Niro as his uncle, William “King” Hale, and Lily
Gladstone as Ernest’s wife, Mollie, additionally supported by an outstanding
cast with the likes of Jesse Plemons, Brendan Fraser, and John Lithgow as well
as many, many others. 'Killers Of The
Flower Moon' tells the story of Great War veteran Ernest who goes out to
Oklahoma to work for his uncle, who is a prominent member of the community
within the Osage Nation. Falling for Osage oil heiress, Mollie, Ernest marries
her and finds himself caught between the grisly race fuelled realties of a town
where Native Americans and white Americans live together, and the rich culture
and traditions of the Osage people.
Overall the film is excellent,
Scorsese is one of the few who can make a picture which warrants a running time of
nearly three and a half hours. Rodrigo Prieto, the cinematographer from the
last two Scorsese films returns and this one has to be his best looking film
for the director. A wonderful mixture of earthy colours, and warm oranges give
an almost sepia effect to the picture. Interwoven by Thelma Schoonmaker's
stylised editing with real and recreated silent footage which aids to inform
the viewer of the unfolding events whilst pushing the story along and again reminds
us of the simpler times in which the events take place. The natural vibrancy of
the green grass and primary colours of the Osage’s traditional dress jump from
the screen and is a visual treat from the dark tone of the story and matching
colour palette. Real attention to detail has been given with the settings and
props; it is often the case with some films which take place in the past look
tired because props are used which are as old as the when the film takes place.
It takes you out of it and you become aware that you are only watching a
reproduction, whereas with 'Killers Of The Flower Moon' everything feels fresh
and appropriate. You are in this small, rural 1920's town, not in some "backlot" watching people clumsily act with props which they have to be delicate with
because they could break at any moment. The film is perfectly verisimilitude
due to this and the audience has no trouble settling down and becoming
comfortable with the surroundings. Additionally there is some outstanding Foley
work and combined with some of the effects, again helps build this world which
encompasses you and really brings a deep-down-in-the-gut visceral feeling. This
film is a real treat for the senses.
Unfortunately though, the film's
main star is its weakest aspect. Everyone shines around DiCaprio, who stumbles
through the film, gurning and grumbling. The actor is such an anomaly and point
of ridicule and humour, that any attempt to be serious is null and void. Like
all Hollywood Ernests, his Ernest is an absolute idiot, and unfortunately for
DiCaprio his portrayal of this character is laughable in parts. What is perhaps
an attempt by the film to redeem the character or give him some sort of
backbone is lost because of how stupid and easily influenced Ernest is. For the
final third of the film, DiCaprio has a face which can only be likened to a
drunk Stanley Holloway (a stretch of a reference, but DiCaprio’s face was very
reminiscent of a scene in David Lean’s 'This
Happy Breed', where Stanley Holloway returns from a Legion dinner drunk). And
like Lean, one must question if Scorsese is in the period of his career where
his films are on epic proportions? Not that this reviewer is complaining, just
pondering.
DiCaprio aside, the cast is
incredible. Gladstone’s Mollie character is charming and she is brilliant at
making the audience feel her grief and paranoia at the murders and
circumstances which surround her and her family. Her chemistry with the other
cast is particularly noteworthy. Whereas the audience may be, somewhat
archaically, expecting a female lead similar to Natalie Wood in John Ford’s 'The Searchers' or some other Western.
Gladstone’s character is not a traditional damsel in distress, Mollie is a
headstrong yet ultimately vulnerable and powerless woman who becomes something
like an unwitting victim of domestic abuse. And just when the audience is in
the midst of her despair the introduction of Plemons’ man from the Bureau of
Investigation brings an air of hope to the audience. Finally, something is
going to be done! Alas, a film which deals with the attacks and injustices faced by Native Americans in the 1920s is not going to end on a positive note. After
all we do not go to see a Scorsese picture because we are promised a happy
ending, very rarely do they actually occur, but a story likes this tells anyone
with a bit of historical knowledge that this three and a bit hour journey is
only leading to the inevitable. Therein leads to the second issue with the
film, the final act and ending.
While the film is an epic, in
production and length, and by all means very good, the film loses its footing
as soon as Ernest goes to court. What has been methodically ramping up over the
last two and a bit hours stumbles and loses its pacing as ideally another two
hours is needed to wrap things up neatly. Unfortunately that is not really an
option, and what we end up with is the cinematic equivalent of hurriedly ending
a story one would write in an English lesson. No “and then they woke up and it was all a dream” but rather a violent
jolt to a few decades later which feels tacked-on because Scorsese looked up
and saw that the school bell was about to ring. The audience become integrated
into the film as the audience for a radio murder-mystery theatre show are
informed that the bad guys were okay and the victims were forgot. One runs the
risk of being a bit too nit-picky but this grievance only detracts very little
from the overall quality and splendour of the film.
There is a warning to be heeded, whilst
all the trademark tropes of the director are there, it is a clear Scorsese
picture, do not go expecting the usual Scorsese gangster flick, at no point
does Joe Pesci turn up and start effing and jeffing at the Osage, which seemed
to be the case with the two men sat next to me. They also seemed unaware of the
running time as they loudly questioned how long was left. Although films are
seeming to slowly get people back to the cinema, cinema etiquette seems to be
extinct. Nevertheless it is looking to be a rather good six or so months for
cinema, this and Ridley Scott’s 'Napoleon'
in a few months, followed by Francis Ford Coppola’s 'Megalopolis' tells the world that these old “new Hollywood” fellas
still have the ability to make good films that will hopefully fill seats. If 'Killers Of The Flower Moon' is anything
to go by, the cinema has nothing to worry about.
Reviewer - Daryl Griffin
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