CANNES, France—Wealth and those who covet it have always been a fascinating subject for Martin Scorsesewhether he’s making a movie about gangsters (best friend, Casino) or adjust Edith Wharton (Innocent age). And that passion is on display once again in his remarkable new film, Flower Moon Killerjust premiered at Cannes Film Festival. Adapted from David Grann’s book about the series of murders that plagued the Osage nation in the 1920s, Scorsese made a towering film about America’s sins and the greedy people who perpetrated them. .
It is anchored by performances from Leonardo Di Caprio and Robert de Niro, both rank among their best, but the film’s soul belongs to Lily Gladstone, who exploded onto the scene in 2016. Some women. Correct, Flower Moon Killer tells about stupid and selfish white men, whose ego and love of money have driven them to heinous crimes. And yet, Gladstone, a native actress, stays focused on the story to remind the audience that their voices have been erased from history. She brings life to both the pain and the spirit of the character.
Scorsese and co-writer Eric Roth kept Grann’s vast narrative coverage, but shifted focus. While Grann uses her story to tell not only the story of the Osage but also the emergence of the modern day FBI, the agency that will eventually bring the perpetrators to justice, the filmmakers allow We watch the acts unfold to know exactly who is behind them. One of the villains mentioned is Ernest Burkhardt, played by DiCaprio, a World War I veteran with the innocence of a teenage boy.
At the beginning of the film, Burkhardt arrives in Oklahoma on the orders of his uncle William Hale, played by de Niro. This is the country of Osage, where members of the Native American tribe consider it home and are among the richest in the nation, thanks to the oil on their land. Scorsese proves this with newsreel-style footage that highlights Osage’s sophistication. (It’s one of the many ways he’ll play with historical vehicles throughout the film.)
Hale, who tells Ernest he can call him “King”, immediately begins to indoctrinate Burkhardt into his plans, even though Burkhardt doesn’t know it yet. De Niro, turning his New York accent into a whispering Oklahoman drawl, is the greatest thing he’s done in years as this kind-hearted nefarious patriarch who is beloved by the community but also always destroy that community. His plot is to have his family marry Osage’s money and then systematically eliminate the Osage women for their right to be their head. Ernest falls right into the ranks when he becomes smitten with the reserved but lively Mollie Kyle (Gladstone), whom he meets while driving around town.
Gladstone plays Mollie, a savvy skeptic who still finds herself captivated by DiCaprio’s big-eyed dummy. She fully knows he’s tempted by her money, but she can’t help her and neither can he. Meanwhile, he is truly captivated by her, while coveting what she has. He thinks he can take on two roles at once: That of Hale’s accomplice and Millie’s devoted husband. One by one, Mollie’s older sister begins to die, while Ernest and Mollie develop a growing family.
DiCaprio has thrived in recent years playing delusional confident men, and his role as Ernest is even more tragic, such as Rick Dalton in Once upon a time in Hollywood… Armed with a pair of monstrous teeth, DiCaprio manages to accentuate his classic charm while portraying a real fool. You get repulsed but you also understand why Mollie trusts his care for her. It’s a smart way to deal with an idiot who, to a large extent, represents the entire history of white Americans, who think they can take on a new culture. not own it and plunder it.
Meanwhile, Gladstone did an absolutely brilliant job of living in Mollie’s gray emotional zones. In her wide eyes, you can read her ardent love for Ernest, her sadness at losing her family, and her own level of suffering—she has diabetes, a disease aggravated throughout the film. It is the performance of a woman trapped not only by her own emotions but also by a larger society that wants her to occupy two worlds at once. One who gave her wealth, but also refused to let her control it: Considered “incompetent”, she had to ask a white man to use her money, who decided determine whether she can have what she needs or wants.
With a duration of nearly three hours and 30 minutes, Flower Moon Killer never felt its length partly due to the captivating nature of these two actors at its heart — with de Niro adding a smooth layer of menace to every scene he’s involved in. At the same time, the runtime is evidenced by Scorsese filling every frame with detail about both Osage’s life and the usual crimes of those who want to ruin it. Both joy and smoldering horror are punctuated by the humdrum guitars of The Band’s Robbie Robertson, who composed the track.
When Flower Moon Killer released in October, I assert that there will be debates emerging as to whether Scorsese is focusing too much on the offenders rather than the victims. There will be intense discussions about the big break he makes at the end — a big picture sign that is both dramatic and disorienting. But rest assured that this is yet another significant work of art by an American master who, in his 80s, is grappling with his accents in ingenious new ways.
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