Killers Of The Flower Moon - Beautiful, Poignant, LONG

Killers of the Flower Moon, Martin Scorcese's latest historical epic, seems to have been tailor made for the awards season. But is it as good as it's made out to be, or a long and self indulgent movie by a director who doesn't know when to wrap it up? Let's find out.

Join this channel to get access to perks:

[XeniaChow]

THIS is what Hollywood should be spending $200 million on. Not Thor Love and Thunder or Quantumania

[jacobpletsch]

The movie is based on the book "Killers of the Flower Moon" which is also a long book, but it is illistrating the birth of the FBI
And the movie is following the book which is non-fiction so it is not meant to be a satisfying ending, but follows the story of what actually happened.

[AnglUki]

I think the unsatisfying ending is entirely intentional. The Osage didn't really get a satisfactory ending either, as detailed in the radio show outro sequence. You're meant to feel like shit about it. As an Inupiaq, another tribe that has oil rights, who has been exploited for my shares in a native corporation, this hit extremely close to home, and I'm glad Scorsese emphasized the lack of justice and attention the case got in the end.

[XeniaChow]

It’s pretty incredible how Scorsese is turning 81 in about a month, and he’s still making great movies that have so much artistic vision and value in them. Whether he’s one of your favorites or not, it’d be very difficult to make the argument that he’s not one of the greatest directors of any generation.

[Joao-jxlo]

Scorsese is the living proof, there's no more beautiful and fruitful a thing than to do what you're good at.

[mrnogot]

They really should not have given everything away in the beginning. We as the audience should have gone through the same paranoia and betrayal Molly has to go through

[ogggggggggggggggggg]

As a member of the Osage tribe who's great grandmother was mentioned in the KOTFM book and whose uncle was in the film, I'm honored that he made this film. Sure it was long and may not be as remembered as Taxi Driver or Raging Bull, but my people needed their story told.

[archaeoman]

He does have a habit of making some of the best, even if they are long, films we talk about for decades after. Let's hope he has one more in him to finish on a high. Because when he's gone we may not get films like his ever again.

[a.wen.]

Idk. Watching it, I never felt it was to long. And I dont think every plot has to be "explosive" to be great. I enjoyed the slow realization of: There is nothing we can do, not all storys end good or satisfying. My movie of the year.

[williamholland]

I read the book this film is based on and named after, and while it too drags on at times, it details the years-long conspiracy against the Osage tribe in a dramatic way that keeps you engaged throughout. Far more of the narrative is focused on Molly and the investigators who ultimately brought the conspiracy, showing how they compiled pretty circumstantial evidence until finally striking gold and exposing the conspiracy ring. To that end, one of the big ways the film deviates from the book is that the book does not immediately reveal that William Hale was behind the entire thing, and definitely not that Ernest Burkhart was helping him. The former is subtly implied but not explicitly stated, with casual references to his attempts to buy land from Osage families or otherwise get money from them. You follow along in the investigators' shoes, pulling together clues because you can't simply KNOW who was behind it. It's an excellent book that I would recommend to anyone interested in learning more about the real history behind this movie, the aftermath, and what we still don't know for sure.

[JG-cvcl]

I'm a 53yo and grew up with Siskell & Ebert, Variety and Etv providing reviews and comment on theatrical releases. The last several years you've become my singular voice in this regard. It seems the rest of the world of opinion is stuck accepting promotional dollars and other renumeration for positive reviews and publicity. Please keep up the good work and accept my prayers and wishes for your success. Don't ever stop telling it like you see it because some of us trust you to sort through the chaff and point us to the wheat. Thank you!

[ShortlordFilms]

Been a fan or yours for a long time. And I've wondered how long until it would be until you reviewed a film that I had worked on. I'm glad it's finally happened. And I totally respect your opinion.

[Keenonhang]

I loved this film. It didn’t feel its long length. It’s classic Scorsese. Powerful, beautifully shot, superb acting, a riveting and at times brutally harrowing story really well told in his very distinctive style. It felt like a real cinema experience. I’ll miss Scorsese when he is gone. He’s one of the true masters of filmmaking.

[ClimbingOfficial]

“Beautiful, poignant, bloated, Long”

That’s what she said - Michael Scott

[m.kirori]

One of the most incredible things about genuine art from an Auteur is it's impact, This film left an imprint and frustration towards systems, governments and most importantly, Personal integrity. Scorsese mentioned in WSJ article about how his protagonists are usually self-righteous, willing to commit small sins and keep persisting (fooling themselbves) on being good/decent. It's sad that few directors remain that are this committed to art.

[ManTriesFood]

The moment the movie was over, I didn't want to even judge it. I just thought about it, avoiding all reviews and comments. I kept thinking about his decisions for character, pace, and what he decided to show us. For me the movie kept lingering. I love that. I love how I can still hear the beat of the drums. And I absolutely love how it made me feel for the Osage, a tribe I unfortunately didn't know too much about. I think this is one of those movies where your traditional plot and character development is a distant device, and what is at the forefront is pure emotion.

[EliEli]

Osage here, I am thrilled that Scorsese made a movie about our small and unknown tribe, and my nephew was in the movie, though I am slightly let down as well. I think De Niro, though great, was miscast not JUST because of his age, but his delivery as an actor, it just doesn't work for Hale, DiCaprio as well for the same reasons The Drinker stated. I think if it showed two perspectives it could of delivered so much more of the history into a more digestible story with more of emotional understanding of the content. One perspective being Mollies, and one being Tom Whites(The investigator) and his team with it all tieing together at the end. I really enjoyed the book and I enjoyed every minute of this movie, but I am slightly disappointed because I know this could of been an all time great. Also we weren't placed on this land as Scorsese said in an interview, we bought it and that's the reason why they weren't able to kick us out after the oil boom.

[grand]

Enjoyed this film better than anything in a long time.
Keep Scorsese alive - please!!

[chance_ondriezek]

DeNiro and DiCaprio both in a Scorsese movie together.
I didn’t think the day would ever come

[mzytryck]

What I really liked about the film was the blending of the genres; the way it subverted the typical Western (the land is settled and the cowboys are serving the Indians) and started almost as a rom-com (boy meets girl of different social class, they have some unresolved sexual tension and then get married), then turned almost into a gothic horror (mysteriously ill woman alone in a house with an untrustworthy husband who tells her it's all in her head and people around her keep dying) then zigzagging it's way through various courtroom and crime dramas took an amazing amount of skill and experience to pull off so smoothly.

I also thought that treating the exploitation of the Osage people less as a political-drama or a civil rights issue and as "just" a gangster story was a very interesting move; it emphasised that what was done to them was, first and foremost, a crime, and the perpetrators were nothing more than greedy and selfish criminals (and not even impressive criminals - they weren't massively charismatic, daring, or even particularly competent, and the Al Capone-level criminal would have eaten them all for breakfast if the stakes had been high enough to actually draw their attention)

But yes, it was undeniably too long, and the final third where it turns into a fairly standard "law catches up with the criminal" plot was the weakest part of it, right when your energy was flagging and you needed something gripping.