The Killers Of The Flower Moon

Martin Scorsese directs this screen adaptation of the book by the same name. Essentially, the plot lingers (and I used the term advisedly,) on the Osage Nation murders, where oil was discovered, in the good ol’ USA of the 1920’s.
Given the long-term collaboration between Scorsese, Di Caprio and De Niro, it’s unsurprising that the latter take lead roles as the unlikeable characters, Uncle Hale and his nephew, Ernest Buckhart. Lily Gladstone plays the long-suffering, indigenous wife, Mollie, but her performance drags and becomes a wan, one-note affair.
The film starts well, and for a moment, there’s the frisson of anticipation because it might just turn out to be a masterpiece? Alas! From then on it’s a downhill ride, Cowboy.
Essentially, the ‘gallant’ white-fellas marry the Osage women to get their hands on the oil money, and gradually the Indian women and their relatives are conveniently knocked off.
Di Caprio’s performance throughout is parody-Marlonesque, and to be honest, after about an hour his company is wearing – and that includes De Niro. How many Close-ups of Di Caprio frowning can a person take? (Actor’s or no, after a time, a person’s true character starts to show up in their face, and I can’t say Scorsese, De Niro or Di Caprio make particularly noble company to spend three hours of your life with. No doubt, I’ll be in the minority, here.)
Central themes of this movie might be corruption and racism, or perhaps, stupidity and exploitation? De Niro plays De Niro playing a “caring” patriarch, who in reality is a murderous, greedy villain. Scorsese does his best to redeem the character of Ernest as a love-struck husband, but essentially, he’s as thick, greedy and racist as the rest of them.  (That is not to say that the film doesn’t have some important commentary on American-Indigenous history.)
About half-way through the film, it became clear where it was heading, but given the time-investment already, there was  always hope of an ingenious or witty plot twist? Nope. It was as if the conversation went: “Oops film’s too long? Let’s quickly explain away the end like vintage radio play! Boom! Boom!”
Produced by Apple TV, no doubt Scorsese/Di Caprio/De Niro fans will rave.
RATING:   3 hours and 26 minutes of my life I won’t get back anytime soon a