Killers of the Flower Moon

KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON No spoilers. At the end of the film, people just stood in silence. There was none of the usual post-film flurry. We stood in silence watching the credits roll, an almost reverence for the narrative we had just witnessed. The film is extraordinary. It is epic storytelling that pays enormous respect to truth-telling. Killers Of The Flower Moon is a historical reckoning. In my opinion, it’s Martin Scorsese’s finest work. At eighty years of age, he is immune to the consequences of taking risks. He told the story of white complicity in the erasure of the Osage Nation’s history and he told it with a level of respect for the Osage that I have never before seen on screen. Yesterday, I watched an interview with Chief Standing Bear of the Osage. He spoke about how his people’s story is one of trust and betrayal. The emotion in the room was palpable when he said that Martin Scorscase’s portrayal of the Osage Nation’s story has restored trust. The healing in that statement serves serves as a testament to the transformative power of storytelling, The research that went into Killers Of The Flower Moon exceeds anything I have ever read about film preparation. It took eight years. Scorscase said that the more he found out about the Osage, the more he wanted to put in. He spent years sitting in tribal council with the Osage, listening. He filmed in Oklahoma, home of the Osage nation and he brought Osage into every stage of the entire movie-making process. The Osage were in front and behind the cameras. They designed the costumes and the set. Traditional Osage songs were used and most powerful of all, the Osage language, a language which is endangered, was used frequently throughout the film. Everything, right down to the coloured stripes on blankets and the meaning and orientation of those stripes, has been authenticated by the Osage. Yet again, Leonardo proves his remarkable talent. So does Robert DiNiro. But it is Lily Gladstone, in her portrayal of Molly, who truly anchors the entire film. She is hypnotic to watch. Her grace and power is captivating as she brings to life the unyielding spirit of the Osage woman at the heart of this story. Lily Gladstone is talented beyond measure. She deserves every accolade for her work in this film. With a run time of three and a half hours, Killers Of The Flower Moon holds the audience captivated from the first scene to the last. It does not miss a beat throughout. This film exemplifies a true masterclass in filmmaking. More significantly, it represents a momentous stride for Hollywood, where unfiltered truth-telling takes precedence over white sensitivities. It’s an exceptional experience. I cannot recommend this film enough.

I really loved this movie but it simply was way too long. I like long movies, I like slow cinema but there is still the concept of economy or story telling. I wish he would allow himself to "kill his darlings" and cut like almost an hour out of this. One of his justifications is that people "sit and binge tv shows for 4-5 hours" but it's not at all the same. The form and structure of television and film are completely different, he knows that. It really just feels like self indulgence because he's at the end of his career and nobody is going to tell him no. Self indulgence is the death of a lot of great artist once they find success. Particularly Scorsese, all of his most respected films (maybe with the exception of casino) even if they had a slightly longer run-time were completely trimmed of fat. Every shot, every line has a point in advancing the plot and was very economical. This adaptation felt like it made all the mistakes of adapting from a novel to film. I would absolutely love an edit of this film that is maybe 2 hours long and could easily been done. It would have been more emotionally impactful, interesting and still honored the story and the people it was about. The Osage, which was definitely the most interesting part of the film. But gets swept up in a stale courtroom drama that we've seen a million times and could have been a couple of short scenes. https://gamma.app/public/-EP8-8-THAI-xtpfh8d1nyzbvzj https://gamma.app/public/-Ep-8--02z1s42dcyug421 https://gamma.app/public/-EP-8-HD--oyqnqabsd6y13wk https://gamma.app/public/-EP-9-HD--zuynxiy04vsa9b1 https://gamma.app/public/-EP9-9-THAI-bu56acn816scd97 https://gamma.app/public/-Ep-9--li77dkxh5yknn1l https://gamma.app/public/-EP-10-HD--zs4j5z6fsotgew6 https://gamma.app/public/-EP10-10-THAI-o7rwuacs6b8rtar https://gamma.app/public/-Ep-10--cz6kd5kfh51syyj https://www.datacamp.com/portfolio/lovedestiny-ep-8 https://www.datacamp.com/portfolio/love-destiny-2-ep-9 https://www.datacamp.com/portfolio/love-desitny-ep-10