Killers of the Flower Moon

Adapted from the novel of the same name by David Grann, Killers of the Flower Moon is inspired by the real life crimes associated with the murders of Osage tribe members by wealthy businessmen and politicians to obtain their oil rights from the 1910s to the '30s. The main crux of the film deals with war veteran Ernest Burkhart marrying Mollie Kyle, though secretly doing it under his uncle's, rancher and deputy sheriff William King Hale, guidance in order to slowly kill her for the oil inheritance. Martin Scorsese, who directed and cowrote with Eric Roth, collaborates with his two best actors in Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio. This being Scorsese's first Western, it looks absolutely amazing thanks to the production values and Rodrigo Prieto's lush cinematography. The writing for the most part is pretty good, especially in how that and DiCaprio's performance never lets you be sure if Ernest feels genuine remorse for poisoning Mollie. One thing that brings it down a bit is that while the first half presents itself rather well, the second half feels like it's too many short segments and some of the focus is a bit off. And for a movie that's over three hours long that feels rather strange, thus maybe it would have worked slightly better as a miniseries. Regardless, the strongest aspect to this movie is anytime it focuses on the Osage tribe and how its people deal with their traditions, the changes going on, and their feelings towards the murders happening over the decades. Related to that topic, while the performances from De Niro, DiCaprio, and the rest of the cast are all strong, the absolute standout is Lily Gladstone as Mollie. She's able to capture both a sense of vulnerability and strength that showcases her being able to stand toe to toe with the other two. In my opinion there are aspects of Killers of the Flower Moon that would have worked better as a miniseries, but Scorsese still crafts a well done movie that pays great respects to a group of people and terrible events that are rarely spoken about. Over all: 100%

2023 top list so far:

1. Oppenheimer

2. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

3. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem

4. Asteroid City

5. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

6. Blue Beetle

7. Barbie

8. Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part 1

9. Elemental

10. Air

11. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

12. Creed III

13. John Wick: Chapter 4

14. Scream VI

15. Killers of the Flower Moon

16. M3GAN

17. Dumb Money

18. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

19. Cocaine Bear

20. Knock at the Cabin

21. The Flash

22. The Super Mario Bros. Movie

23. Renfield

24. Fast X

25. The Little Mermaid 2023

26. Shazam! Fury of the Gods

27. Transformers: Rise of the Beasts

28. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania