Killers of the Flower Moon review

Killers of the Flower Moon will be in cinemas on October 6, 2023.

He presents Killers of the Flower Moon A story so brutal, it spans dozens of murders over several years, across a whopping 206 minutes that gives you a chance to reflect on its brutality in ways few films do. Martin Scorsese and screenwriter Eric Roth take the many details of David Gran’s real-life journalistic novel and bring them to life with images and backdrops for the big screen, all while keeping the focus on a harrowing love story against the backdrop of a chilling portrait of Native American genocide.

Martin Scorsese brings Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio together for the first time, giving him unlimited star power. But the unlikely star here is Lily Gladstone as wealthy Osage tribeswoman Molly Burkhart, who falls in love with DiCaprio’s chauffeur but soon begins to see her family and culture slowly die in front of her. Gladstone gives a stunning performance that starts off with a sweet and confident personality, but that aura quickly fades as the life is gradually being drained from her body and eyes.

Movie events Killers of the Flower Moon A series of murders in 1920s Oklahoma in which the victims are all part of (or associated with) a community of oil-rich Native Americans, a community whose fortunes are placed under the power of white “guardians” by the United States government, but whose crimes are hardly investigated. murder in the beginning. But the aspect in which the movie differs from the book is that Gran in the book kept the mystery at first and only gradually began to reveal the inhuman sinners and their brutal methods, when the (pre- FBI) which was newly formed to reveal the truth of what happened. On the other hand, Scorsese and Roth portray these details vividly from the start, making this sprawling plot seem shockingly open-ended. According to Gran’s book, it was said that many white men of the time considered the killing of Native Americans not murder, but cruelty to animals. When he shows up late in the story, all that’s left for Detective Tom White (Jesse Plemons) to do is extract confessions of what everyone seems to already know.

It is a murder mystery told from the killers’ point of view.

It’s a murder mystery told from the point of view of the killers, imbuing viewers with feelings of disgust at how shameless the conspirators are about killing people they consider to be below their standards, for no more than material gain, because of the amount of power and political influence on their side. In this way it works Killers of the Flower Moon It serves as an extension (and a focused metaphor) of one of America’s original sins: the mistreatment of its indigenous people over the centuries, and the occasional massacre of them with little consequence.

But the Osage characters are not presented as sympathetic victims, but rather (in terms of their screen time), secondary to the silently evil DiCaprio and De Niro, hiding behind their Osage friendships. DiCaprio plays Ernest, an overzealous butler whose charm betrays complicity, while De Niro plays his philanthropic uncle William Hill, the outwardly benevolent but in fact a con man who boldly refers to himself as the “King of the Osage Hills.” But the Osage tribe’s perspective is pivotal to success Killers of the Flower Moon. The script has been extensively rewritten using information from the Osage, and this is evident in the film, so in addition to the brutality imposed on them, this story is about their culture, from their rituals and beliefs regarding birth, death and marriage, to the ways they move through the world. There are enough Osage characters fleshed out so perfectly that everything from reverence for traditions and tribal meetings to gossip and flirtation is showcased, giving us a vivid, deeply human sense of what (and who) has been lost.

Although the events of the film take place in the twenties, but Killers of the Flower Moon It serves as a self-contemplation of the American West, from the enchanting landscape cinematography from Rodrigo Prieto to the groovy soundtrack from Robbie Robertson that reminds us of the genre at every opportunity. Many of the conspiracy’s perpetrators have been stereotyped as classic westerns. They’re black-hated outlaws and untouchable mobsters who plot mysteries (but again: unabashedly revealing). Whereas until very recently Hollywood frequently depicted “savage” Native Americans murdering white characters, here the tables are turned, as Scorsese deftly blends real and cinematic histories, exposing the former while undermining the latter.

what maintains Killers of the Flower Moon Interesting despite its very long duration is the intense momentum it has.

what maintains Killers of the Flower Moon What’s interesting despite its very long run is the intense momentum it wields, whether through Scorsese’s fluid camera movements, the abruptly cut shots of editor Thelma Schoonmaker, or the masterful combination of the two. The film’s theme may be dark, but it’s a Scorsese movie in every detail, with a few side roles by well-known actors (like Brendan Fraser and John Lithgow) and scenes of fast-paced dialogue that make every bit of planning and thoughtful thinking feel like something out of a movie. goodfellas. The film is fun to watch, but it also knows how and when to get you out of your comfortable movie-watching mode, with a stark reminder of the brutality and bloodthirstiness that lurks outside (and often within) the frame.

The advantage of feature films is that they allow heavy themes to permeate our minds for long periods of time, as happened in the last hour of a movie. The Irishman From Scorsese, in which unraveling the details of a secret murder plot becomes exhausting and horrific. But this time the plot is visible to almost everyone (to every white character at least, and the camera is complicit too), which makes it all the more terrifying. It becomes all the more frustrating given the ease with which violence is perpetrated against the people of the Osage, even within the confines of supposedly just systems, which apparently wouldn’t convict white men for these crimes in the first place.

However, arguably the most heartwarming scenes are the ones that focus on the true love story between Molly and Ernest, in all its wonderful moments and all its hardships. It’s a multifaceted relationship with a glowing, realistic appeal. But due to the troubling circumstances, almost everything about this pivotal romance is in question. The savagery of violent bloodshed can be as painful as the skepticism, as both Molly and the audience are led to question the honesty of a man like Ernest. Could he be trusted, let alone saved, when his actions fell squarely under what the political thinker Hannah Arendt termed “evil pettiness,” referring to the recklessly routine manner in which Nazi officers obediently and unquestioningly carried out their duties?

Since the perpetrators are known to the public, Killers of the Flower Moon Instead he allows questions about Ernest’s ethics and complicity to become the pivotal puzzle through the eyes of Molly, who eventually comes to a firm conclusion. This focus on the weight of Ernest’s actions and the question of his perception drives the film’s rhythms and keeps us hooked with his emotional skepticism, even as the film is bold and self-assured as it immerses itself in cinematic elements. But while this allows for a plot twist, it doesn’t give us a real sense of an emotional finale, a choice Scorsese makes, acknowledging the fact that the violence on screen here still has lingering effects today.

Similar to the lives of the indigenous characters in Killers of the Flower MoonAll the scenes in the movie, even the most vivid ones, come with many caveats, as death lurks not on every corner, but on the main street of every American city. He smiles a familiar friendly smile.

Translated by Dima Muhanna