Saturday, February 24, 2024

Killers of the Flower Moon (2023)

IMDb plot summary: When oil is discovered in 1920s Oklahoma under Osage Nation land, the Osage people are murdered one by one - until the FBI steps in to unravel the mystery.
Directed by Martin Scorsese. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, and Lily Gladstone.

Killers of the Flower Moon is the newest Martin Scorsese epic, a three-hour tale of the horrific plots by white men in 1920s Oklahoma to marry Osage women for their oil-rich land and then murder them. It stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Lily Gladstone as one of these married couples and Robert De Niro as DiCaprio's wealthy boss. Lily Gladstone has been recognized by the Oscars for this role, and deservedly so -- she grounds the movie and keeps it from being solely centered on the murderers. Do I wish more of the movie had been focused on her? Absolutely. But it's well told overall, very much highlighting the deadly cruelty of racism and greed. I was struck especially by how the film chose to end and provide its epilogue to the story -- a bold choice that was at first offputting but then seemed exactly on point with the rest of the movie. While I can't imagine wanting to watch this movie again, I do want to read the book now, and I'm glad I set aside the time to see it.

How it entered my Flickchart:
Killers of the Flower Moon > Skyfall
Killers of the Flower Moon < Dark Passage
Killers of the Flower Moon < Kanal
Killers of the Flower Moon > Inspector Clouseau
Killers of the Flower Moon > Mother Night
Killers of the Flower Moon > Kiss Me Kate
Killers of the Flower Moon > The Green Mile
Killers of the Flower Moon > VeggieTales: Where's God When I'm S-Scared?
Killers of the Flower Moon > Love, Life and Goldfish
Killers of the Flower Moon > The Tragedy of Macbeth
Killers of the Flower Moon < Don't Look Up
Final spot: #1456 out of 3871, or 62%.

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