How did Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon turn out?

Starting October 20, Killers of the Flower Moon, a new directorial work by Martin Scorsese, will be released worldwide. As with The Irishman, the famous author took a true crime story and turned it into an epic tale.

The film lasts more than 3 hours, and its plot unfolds over many years. But Killers of the Flower Moon, although it requires complete immersion when viewing, does not seem overly drawn out. The acting work of Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio, coupled with a complex plot and a mixture of genres, makes the film impressive.

The plot is based on a real and very dark story

After World War I, Ernest Burkhart (played by DiCaprio) comes to the ranch to visit his uncle, Osage County Sheriff's Deputy William Hale (Robert De Niro). He advises his relative to have an affair and then marry some girl from the indigenous population - the Osage Indians. The whole point is what was found in the ground

oil, and the locals instantly became rich. People like Hale can only manage their money, not own it. But if you contact the Indians through family ties, then the possessions can go to the whites.

Ernest's choice falls on Molly Kyle, a diabetic but very independent woman. Soon local residents begin to die: some allegedly as a result of an accident or due to natural causes, others are killed by unknown people. In fact, it is Hale and his entourage who are taking all the wealth of the Osage into their own hands.

The plot of the film is based on non-fiction book "Killers of the Flower Moon. Oil. Money. Blood". In the original, the action is presented precisely as an investigation by agents of the newly formed FBI.

Indeed, at the beginning of the 20th century, a whole wave of mysterious deaths of indigenous people occurred in the United States. Local police ignored these incidents, and private detectives who took up investigations were found murdered. Subsequently, it was possible to prove the connection of William Hale, nicknamed the King, with some of these crimes. Others remained unsolved.

Martin Scorsese initially planned to build the film close to the original book - in the form of an investigation. So Killers of the Flower Moon could make a good detective story. But gradually, partly under the influence of Leonardo DiCaprio, the idea changed.

It was the villains who were at the center of the plot. First of all, it is not Hale himself, but his nephew - a more ambiguous character. This approach made it possible to turn a detective story into a dramatic one. thriller. The film tells more about the experiences of the characters - Ernest’s doubts and the fears of local residents whose loved ones are dying.

Killers of the Flower Moon Gives a New Look at Native American Culture

Changes in the plot also allowed the film to move away from the traditional structure, when special agents or other law enforcement officers catch villains and simply save helpless ordinary people. This is precisely an immersion in the culture and life of those times.

Perhaps the best thing about the film is its more honest look at Native Americans. Too often they are shown in films exclusively as retrogrades who live on reservations, follow mysterious rituals and shun any progress.

Here, the rich Osages are driving modern cars, taking photographs, and even organically combining their national outfits with European costumes. This perfectly shows that discussions about the backwardness of the locals are nothing more than racism, which has nothing to do with reality.

This makes the dialogue even more creepy. When Ernest hires another person to kill, he says that he will never commit such a crime. But when he hears that the victim is an Indian, he immediately changes his mind. As if it's not about people.

To more plausibly show the orders and rituals of the Osage, Martin Scorsese consulted with representatives of this people. Some of them even starred in episodes of the film, which adds even more realism to it.

And in general, the director, as in “Gangs of New York” and his other historical films, works scrupulously with details. “Killers of the Flower Moon” is not just a thriller, but also an excursion into history, allowing you to look at fashion, customs, medicine and other elements of everyday life a century ago.

And into this seemingly calm life, in short but very scary scenes, Scorsese adds everyday cruelty and disgusting racism characteristic of the era.

The director unexpectedly mixes genres

Scorsese often makes long films: Casino, Gangs of New York and The Wolf of Wall Street last almost 3 hours. His latest works are “Irishman", and now "Killers of the Flower Moon" - even more. But the timing of the new film is not felt at all. The fact is that it changes throughout the action.

The director masterfully plays with genres. The film starts out as a crime thriller, then turns into a complex conversational film, then almost into a detective story, and then completely into a legal drama. Sometimes Osage rituals are shown in detail, going almost into mysticism - it’s not for nothing that the director confessed in love with the work of Ari Aster, author of “Solstices" and "All Bo's Fears."

But the most unexpected thing is the finale in the spirit of Wes Anderson, in which the director himself will appear on stage and directly tell the audience how the story ends. Such theatricality looks a little calming after 3 hours of gloom. Scorsese does not discount the cruelty of the story, but reminds that the viewer was still watching a feature film.

Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro convincingly played very unpleasant characters

Martin Scorsese is working with his favorite actors again. This is the director's tenth collaboration with Robert De Niro and the sixth - with DiCaprio. The artists themselves have also already acted together, but with other authors: in “This Boy’s Life” by Michael Caton-Jones and “Marvin’s Room” by Jerry Zacks.

De Niro is always in his place in Scorsese's films: this time his hero is less ambiguous than in Casino or even The Irishman. This is an outright scoundrel who will stop at nothing to achieve his goal. He successfully poses as a good-natured man, speaks to the indigenous people in their language, and himself sets a reward for the capture of the killers.

The character’s false smile and his supposedly heartfelt speeches are almost the creepiest thing in the film. De Niro portrays the wolf in sheep's clothing perfectly.

But DiCaprio looks even more interesting. Let's start with the fact that he rarely plays negative characters. Of course, there was a famous "Django Unchained", where he appeared as the embodiment of all the worst that is in people. But there his hero looked like a grotesque mask. In Killers of the Flower Moon he is disgusting, but more realistic.

At first it seems that Ernest Burkhart may repeat the fate of Michael Corleone from "Godfather": a war veteran seems to be an honest person who is dragged into crime against his will. But very easily he becomes cruel and, worst of all, vile.

DiCaprio plays a pathetic man who has completely lost his moral compass. He seems to sincerely love his wife and children, but he is so mired in crimes and lies that he is ready for even the most disgusting acts.

The main indicator that both actors coped with their roles: somewhere towards the middle of the film they become unpleasant to look at. You see not talented artists, but vile people.

But while the two excellent actors are the most memorable, the supporting cast complements the action well and matches their performances. The little-known Lily Gladstone in the image of Molly shows almost the best duet with Leonardo DiCaprio. It is interesting to see how her character dominates Ernest at the beginning of the film - and how everything changes towards the middle of the plot, and then again towards the end.

Brendan Fraser, who won an Oscar last year, and musician Jack White appear in small cameos. And Jesse Plemons in the role of the agent once again confirms that roles in Westerns suit him very well.

Killers of the Flower Moon is a long and very heavy film, but this is the only way to tell this dark story. Although it is dedicated to the events of a hundred years ago in the United States, it is still relevant: racism, murder for greed, betrayal of loved ones - these topics, alas, are not outdated. The magnificent actors play with complete dedication, and the mixture of genres allows the director to regularly surprise the viewer.