Writer/director Martin Scorsese is sure to turn heads with his new film, Killers of the Flower Moon. The film is based on David Grann’s 2017 non-fiction book outlining the murders of wealthy Osage people in Osage County, Oklahoma in the 20’s. Noted as the first major case for the newly formed FBI, the story follows and investigates the murders and atrocities committed by white people on the Native Americans in the region in search of big oil deposits under their land. A Flower Moon – a term given to the bloom of flowers in abundance, signifying the start of Spring season.
The Osage Tribe, spanned in territory from Oklahoma, throughout the Midwest United States. White settlers seeking to profit and conquer, soon discovered; the only right to passage is to marry or court within the Osage tribe. In attempts to infiltrate the Osage tribe, very few are successful which leads to heinous acts against the tribe, which even results in murder.
Killers of the Flower Moon plot centers around Mr. Ernest Burkhart (Leonardo DiCaprio), a white war veteran who returns to the area and begins courting Mollie (Lily Gladstone). Ernest has one motive……….. to get his hands on her family’s fortune. The film sub-plot is a contrast between Ernest and his uncle, William “King” Hale, played by Robert De Niro.
As the fictitious relationship matures, Ernest working off the advice of his uncle King, perfects the high stakes game of becoming a gold-digger, literally speaking. By the mid 20’s, King was considered a crime lord with major influence through cattle ranching and politics. In 1929, King would be investigated, charged, and sentenced to life in prison for the contract killing of Ernest’s wife’s family in a conspiracy to gain control of the family headrights.
The Killers of the Flower Moon, represents an attempt to strip the Osage tribe of their land. Many white men with power and influence moved on the Osage tribe in an attempt of abstracting the riches of the land. By the mid 1920’s, Mr. Hale had become a millionaire through crime, corruption, and fear instilled throughout the Osage region, proclaimed as the “King of the Osage”. Tom White (Jesse Plemons), was the FBI agent who solved the complex Osage murder case, breaking many barriers that remain relevant today.
Produced and theatrically released by Paramount Pictures, Killers of the Flower Moon is also available to be streamed on AppleTv. Killers of the Flower Moon also stars John Lithgow and Brendan Fraser.
Killers of the Flower Moon one of Martin Scorsese’s best directed films yet! Scorsese cleverly projects an variety of angles with the characters, while tilting the scale of morality – without resolution.
~ PMB Film Critic Lamont ” Renzo” Bracy
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