🍿79: Killers of the Flower Moon
We've got the double-D (De Niro & DiCaprio) feature and the 2015 Scorsese short they both starred in.
“When morals decline and good men do nothing, evil flourishes.”
~ J. Edgar, 2011
Great expectations…
Martin Scorsese has been one of my favourite directors since the day I skipped school following a mole removal (yes, you read that right) and spent the afternoon watching Goodfellas. So, when I first heard about Killers of the Flower Moon in 2020, and that it would star two of the greatest actors of our time, I was excited.
To say my expectations were high, would be an understatement. I’ve waited for almost four years for this film to be released, and naturally, these expectations led to disappointment. Isn’t it a shame that simply being excited about something can risk your enjoyment of it? Or is that just me?
Keep this in mind in reading this week’s review. I wanted to love Killers of the Flower Moon, I wanted to give it five stars, but I couldn’t help myself in picking it apart. Though, I must admit I am tempted to go and see it again while it’s still showing.
Are there any films you’ve been particularly excited to see, that ultimately let you down? Let me know in the comments.
Now for the headlines:
A minuscule teaser trailer (it’s six seconds long) has dropped for Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, with a full trailer expected to be released later today. Watch it here.
Saoirse Ronan is set to play a primary school teacher in the upcoming satirical thriller Bad Apples. Read more.
Cinema chain Vue is experimenting with the return of intermissions as films continue to surpass the three-hour mark. Read more.
Saltburn and American Fiction took the top prizes at the 2023 SCAD Savannah Film Festival. Read more.
Upcoming Releases
Occupied City
UK: TBC // USA: TBC
The past and present collide in Steve McQueen’s excavation of the Nazi occupation of Amsterdam: a journey from World War II to recent years of pandemic, protest and a provocative, life-affirming reflection on memory, time and what’s to come.
Wicked Little Letters
UK: 23 February // USA: 23 February
When people in Littlehampton, including uptight local Edith (Olivia Coleman), start getting profane letters, Irish migrant Rose (Jess Buckley) is charged with the crime. Suspecting that something is amiss, the town’s women investigate.
Freud’s Last Session
UK: 22 December // USA: 22 December
Based on the stage play of the same name by Mark St. Germain, which itself is based upon the book ‘The Question of God’, by Armand Nicholi, Freud’s Last Session stars brings together an imaginary meeting between Sigmund Freud (Anthony Hopkins) and C. S. Lewis (Matthew Goode).
Fact of the week
Believe it or not, Killers of the Flower Moon isn’t Leonardo DiCaprio’s first Western, and I’m not talking about The Revenant. In 1995, Leo starred alongside Sharon Stone, Gene Hackman and Russell Crowe in The Quick and the Dead, directed by Sam Raimi.
Nor is it technically the first time that Martin Scorsese has directed both DiCaprio and Robert De Niro. In 2015, the three of them all play themselves in a short film, The Audition, where both actors compete for a role in Scorsese’s next project.
The 16-minute film reportedly cost $70m to produce, and while it’s surprisingly hard to find a good version of it online, it’s still worth a watch.
Here’s the best version I could find — sadly the preview window has been disabled, but you can feast your eyes on the poster below.
Review: Killers of the Flower Moon
Star rating:
4 (out of 5)
Where to watch:
USA: Only in cinemas
UK: Only in cinemas
Runtime:
3hr 26m
Director:
Martin Scorsese
Blurb:
Real love crosses paths with unspeakable betrayal as Mollie Burkhart (Lily Gladstone), a member of the Osage Nation, tries to save her community from a spree of murders fueled by oil and greed.
The review (MINOR spoilers):
Based on the true story of the Osage murders, Killers of the Flower Moon marks Martin Scorsese’s first western. It’s a story of greed, murder and deceit that shines a light on a small community hit by an epic scandal. The film itself, however, isn’t quite the epic that this critic was hoping for.
One of the larger disappointments I had was that the film featured very few of Scorsese’s signature trademarks. There’s no narration, no long tracking shots, no freeze frames… In fact, other than the near-continuous use of music, there’s very little to suggest that it’s a Scorsese picture. But, unlike the eclectic soundtracks Goodfellas and Casino, there was the continuous hum of a harmonica, which is used a little clumsily to build tension.
That’s not to say the music is underwhelming — the score is great — it just seemed to build up at the wrong time.
While the suspense is being built up constantly, it rarely amounts to anything. The bluegrass tempo may increase to the point that you’re ready for something big to happen, that simply doesn’t. This works to the detriment of the plot, in which the stakes are high for all involved, as there’s simply no feeling of urgency. Nor is there any mystery as to what’s going and it’s all too easy to see what’s coming from one scene to the next.
It’s a curious thing for a film like this to fail on… Take Titanic for example, everyone knows that the ship sinks at the end, but the suspense is genuine and it pays off. The same can’t be said for Killers of the Flower Moon, despite it being a lesser-known true story.
All that said, DiCaprio does a great job as Ernest Burkhart and De Niro carries weight as his unscrupulous uncle, to whom he gives so much of his loyalty. It’s an interesting role for DiCaprio, as there’s a stark contrast between the charismatic characters that he’s known for and this dullard — it’s a transformation that’s almost disconcerting. Meanwhile, Lily Gladstone shines as Earnest’s Osage wife, Mollie, in a role that allows her to display a wider range of emotions than her co-stars.
It’s a long film, and though it might feel slower than some of Scorsese’s other great works, it doesn’t drag, which is a testament to Scorsese’s talent as a storyteller. Having Scorsese, De Niro and DiCaprio work alongside each other, finally, is like a dream come true, though there’s a part of me that thinks it’s come a little too late in their careers.
Scroll down to see what’s in the next issue.
If you liked Killers Of The Flower Moon…
There Will Be Blood
2007 | UK: Netflix // USA: Paramount+ / Amazon Prime ($3.79)
With oil and greed at its core, Paul Thomas Anderson’s masterpiece, There Will Be Blood, is the obvious choice this week. While it’s less action-packed than Killers of the Flower Moon, the performances of both Daniel Day-Lewis and co-star Paul Dano are sublime, with their chemistry creating a drama of epic proportions.
If you’ve not seen it, Day-Lewis plays Daniel Plainview, a ruthless oil prospector who goes on a relentless pursuit to become the most powerful oil tycoon. If you have seen it, it’s a great time to watch it again.
In the next issue:
Dream Scenario
UK: 10 November // USA: 22 November | Watch the Trailer
