In many ways, Killers of The Flower Moon feels both old school and innovative at the same time. The storytelling and cinematography follows a classic Scorsese Rise and Fall formula that produced some of the most memorable crime thrillers of the 90s, yet the choice of topic feels like a much needed breath of fresh air. This is a film that just couldn’t have been made back in the 90s for the simple reason that, unlike the well-known true stories behind Goodfellas and Casino, much of the history behind the Osage Indian murders was forgotten.
It was only in 2017 that David Grann’s bestselling book revealed the story to a much wider audience. The release was a watershed moment that drew awareness to the plight of Osage and joined the growing trend of contemporary journalism seeking to revisit racist chapters in American history. Among these is the Tulsa massacre of 1921, which only recently received renewed interest from the government and the press. Even though hundreds of black residents were murdered and many more were left homeless, the seismic event had largely been ignored in American history books. As The Wall Street Journal notes “Questions about the scope of the rampage have never been resolved. Even the description of the violence is a point of contention, with some calling it The Tulsa Race Riot of 1921 and others referring to it as a massacre.”
It’s fitting that Killers of The Flower Moon, a film that takes place in the same period of history, draws deliberate parallels between Tulsa and the Osage murders. After seeing a newsreel of the massacre at the cinema, we see the grieving Osage start to repeat “It’s just like Tulsa” after similar atrocities are committed on their home turf.
Of course, revisiting a dark and miserable period of history doesn’t exactly make for the most exciting logline. But, against all odds Scorsese is able to weave in both humour and suspense into a three hour tragedy. What we end up with is not a complex Agatha Christie conspiracy, but a patient, dynastic drama that spends less time engineering nebulous twists in favour of telling an authentic story that is as thrilling as it is grounded.
At the heart of the film’s storytelling power is the time it takes to develop a rich cast of characters. The first one we meet is Ernest Berkhert, a war veteran who comes to live with his uncle and brother in Osage county. Played by Leonardo DiCaprio, we soon learn that Berkhert is no genius, but a simple man that just wants an honest job and a noble life. This is a very different role for Leo, one where instead of portraying exceptional talent or intellect, he must be a very convincing everyman. Yet, with very little to draw upon, DiCaprio is able to lend the character a certain pathos that has us rooting for Berkhert throughout the entire length of the film. It really is an exceptional performance that manages to draw the audience into an obscure political dynasty.
At the head of this dynasty is William “King” Hale, Berkhert’s uncle who has amassed a small fortune from his cattle ranch. DeNiro plays Hale with a mixture of Corleone coolness and paternalistic love that draws both trust and fear from the Osage locals. With this influence, it’s no surprise that he’s assumed a glue-like position that ties the disparate indigenous and white communities together in what initially feels like peaceful coexistence. Ernest is easily swept up in this cult of personality, dutifully obeying his uncle, even as the mysterious layers of Hale’s character are gradually revealed.
Then of course there is Mollie, the strong-willed indigenous woman that Burkhart falls for as soon as she gets in his taxi cab. Lily Gladstone lends the character a dignity and teasing humour that sets the stage for an endearing romance between the two. Unlike the other relationships and marriages between the whites and the Osage that are clearly the products of greed, this one feels genuine. We get the sense that Berkhert truly loves Mollie. The matter of her headrights (the guarantee of a cut of the oil sales made from her land) seems more like an insidious afterthought planted by his uncle, than the true motivation for their eventual marriage.
With Mollie also comes an introduction to the Osage way of life and their respect for nature. The kind-hearted Ernest is receptive to this practice, at one point agreeing to pause his drinking and sit with Mollie in dignified silence as a violent storm rolls past. Of course the same respect isn’t shown by many of the other white men from the town, and this overriding of environmentalist principles provides a subtle, timely warning to contemporary audiences. After all, the title Killers of The Flower Moon is an Osage saying about how the beautiful blooming April flowers are crowded out by taller plants in May.
It’s thought that one of the reasons movies are getting longer and longer, is that the prospect of an epic can lure audiences away from TV screens and into cinemas. Another reason is that some directors have so much clout that they can simply refuse to trim their masterpieces. I’m certainly glad Scorsese stuck to his guns on this one, as every nail-biting minute of the Osage story is essential watching.
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