‘I was, uh, sent down from Washington D.C. to see about these murders…’
Along with such luminaries as Tom Cruise and Ridley Scott, legendary director Martin Scorsese has been positioned as one of the last bastions of true cinema. This unlikely trio may be responsible for very different kinds of films but what connects all of them is that they understand what an audience wants. Scorsese knows there is still a desire for complex, nuanced characters. For the kind of long-form storytelling that only cinema can truly deliver. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea, of course. My wife dubbed Marty’s latest ‘Killers of the Boring Moon’ – one of her most devastating zingers yet – I’m sure you would agree. And while there is no doubt that Flower Moon is so very long, the sheer quality of the film itself has ensured that its length hasn’t become its most defining feature…
In 1920s Oklahoma, the Osage people have vast quantities of wealth due to the oil on their land. Obviously, this can’t be allowed to continue while ever there are white people around. And so, insidious farm owner William Hale (Robert De Niro) enlists the help of his hapless nephew Ernest (Leonardo DiCaprio) in marrying Mollie (Lily Gladstone) – a prominent member of the Osage community. After a series of brutal murders, the FBI, led by Jesse Plemons sporting an incredible hat, arrive in Oklahoma to conduct their own investigation.
There is a lot of talk within film circles nowadays about cultural impact. It is a well-known phenomenon that while the Avatar movies are some of the most successful films ever made, they have left zero cultural footprint. It is already clear that will not be the case here. Plemons showing up halfway through and announcing that he’s there to solve the murders, Brendan Fraser’s astonishingly over-the-top entrance, De Niro’s assertion that no matter how sinister the corruption, people will forget because ultimately they don’t care… these moments have already entered the pop culture lexicon, and that’s without mentioning Scorsese himself showing up at the end to deliver a haunting denouement (note to Quentin Tarantino: that’s what a director cameo should look like).
Elsewhere, Gladstone is deserving of her Best Actress Oscar nomination in one of the most memorable breakout roles in recent memory, Leo should also have been nominated and boy is it invigorating to see De Niro in a role that he actually cares about. Dirty Grandpa this ain’t. The supporting cast is wonderful too, the set design breathtaking, Scorsese’s direction as focused and imaginative as ever… if this is to be the master director’s swansong (and at 81, it well could be) then Killers of the Flower Moon is a fitting way to bow out – it’s also a vast improvement on The Irishman.
While it’s true that this film is the perfect summation of the dark underbelly of America, more importantly, it’s captivating and compelling cinema. The old master has done it again.