4/5
“They’re the finest, the wealthiest and most beautiful people on God’s earth. They’re a big-hearted people, but sickly” intones a character near the start of Killers of the Flower Moon. We then see an Osage man lying on the ground, foaming at the mouth. This being a Martin Scorsese film, just being ‘sickly’ doesn’t seem like a likely explanation. It is the Reign of Terror, a period when over 60 members of the Osage tribe of Native Americans died in mysterious circumstances, from roughly 1918-1931. Killers of the Flower Moon, based on David Grann’s 2017 true crime book, is an epic tragedy, which focuses on the true story of one marriage and the scarcely believable betrayal that unfolded within it. At over three hours, it also has an epic runtime. Potential viewers will be asking themselves – ‘is it worth it?’ We’ll get to that eventually, but first let’s set the scene.
The Osage had been ejected from their native lands in the late nineteenth century and shunted off to a barren reservation in what is now Oklahoma. Their fortunes suddenly changed when huge oil deposits were discovered underground, which led to the tribe becoming some of the richest people per capita in the world by the early 1920s. Unsurprisingly, this reversal of the usual power balance between natives and whites didn’t end well for the tribe.
Ernest Burkhardt, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, comes to Osage County to seek work with his wealthy uncle, William ‘King’ Hale, played by Robert DeNiro. Hale was one of the most powerful men in the county, who also professed a deep love for the Osage, even speaking their language. DeNiro’s Hale is amiable, yet self-important to the point of menace. Like many of the ambitious, greedy men in Scorsese’s films, it seems like he does not let anything get in the way of what he wants. Hale has total control over Ernest, encouraging him to date and then marry an Osage woman named Mollie. Although their romance is genuinely sweet, from the start it is tinged with forebodings, as Hale has told Ernest that marrying Mollie will give him (by extension Hale himself) access to Mollie’s ‘headright’, her personal oil fortune as a member of the tribe.
The body count continues to rise, and Mollie’s own sister Anna is found shot dead in a creek, but with the bullet nowhere to be found. In desperation the Osage seek help from the Federal Government, who assign the case to the fledgling Bureau of Investigation, later renamed as the FBI. Whereas David Grann’s book delved into the weeds of the Bureau’s investigation and the lives of the men conducting it, Scorsese and co-writer Eric Roth shift the focus to Mollie and Ernest’s relationship. One of the most affecting scenes is when Mollie stops Ernest from shutting the window as the rain starts to pour, and instead telling him to sit quietly and listen to the rain. This moment, when Mollie gently instructs Ernest in her way of life, came from Scorsese’s conversations with current members of the Osage and is testament to his efforts to accurately depict the tribe’s culture. The tragedy that befalls Mollie is a microcosm of the one which befalls the entire Osage tribe – maybe even the one which befell America’s entire native population. Her grief is foregrounded, helped by Lily Gladstone’s powerful performance. Although mostly calm in the face of the storm, there are heartbreaking moments when her sadness overwhelms her.
It’s great to see DiCaprio and DeNiro, Scorsese’s two favourite leading men, acting opposite each other for the first time in years. Some might find the resulting gurn-off tiresome but I enjoyed watching how Ernest becomes a feeble imitation of the formidable Hale, trying his best tough-guy act on one of his cronies. Although this part of the story is morbidly fascinating, at times its easy to mix up the various bootleggers and outlaws who populate Osage County. A film this long can be hard to follow – I was confused as to when Mollie and Ernest’s children entered the picture, and the Federal investigation feels weirdly rushed, with little time given to the various undercover agents who pop up. There is however a great turn from Jesse Plemons as Tom White, the agent leading the investigation.
Despite these flaws, the film is completely engrossing and deserves its length (although it would benefit from an interval at showings). There are all the Scorsese trademarks, from virtuoso tracking shots, to genuinely shocking violence. It feels like a film you live through with the characters, especially Molly, who faces one tragedy after another. However, I can’t shake the feeling that Scorsese sets out to test the patience of his audiences (given his opinion on Marvel films), in order to separate the true believers from the casuals.
The film can be seen as a statement on the banality of evil, given how casually the villains are able to arrange a murder, and the brazenness of the crimes against the Osage. This evil may be hiding in plain sight, a friendly face in the community, or even within your own family. The film’s greatest horror is the realisation that those someone close to you has done something unspeakable, transforming them suddenly into someone you do not know – a monster. Can we believe this the same person we used to love? Killers is also a powerful reminder that much of America’s prosperity was built on the oppression and murder of its indigenous population. Critics have noted that the film could have given more agency to Mollie, making her and the Osage more than just helpless victims, but she is given a powerful final scene in which she is able to reclaim some dignity. Scorsese has shone a light on a forgotten era of American history, one which shows the violence against its native peoples sadly did not end with the closing of the frontier.
Looking for more films like this? Check out: There Will Be Blood, Thunderheart, Dances With Wolves, Memories Of Murder
Mark It Zero 