Killers of the Flower Moon
Scorsese yet again pours his time, energy and soul into making a vibrant and immersive atmosphere that makes this specific cinematic feature especially enriching. Unfortunately this masterpiece only lasts for so long before the pacing, length and lack of any climax, drags this film and its audience into a persistent state of boredom, leaving the atmosphere to go unappreciated.
The stand out components of this film included the cinematography, editing and acting. De Niro and DiCaprio make the best with the one-dimensional characters given and add extra gravitas in some of the unfortunately frequent lacklustre scenes that combine to make this Western Epic. Lily Gladstone and Brendan Fraser also heighten this film with quality performances.
Scorsese definitely takes a respectfully humble approach to bringing these murders on screen, but perhaps its delivery is too shy and basic, there appears to be a distinct lack of climaxes or any moments of tension. Once all the Osage victims are dead there is an overwhelming expectation that the film will truly begin after 1hr 30mins of contextual background, atmospheric development and DiCaprio frowning like a disgruntled bulldog. But shortly after the FBI arrive, all is revealed and just like the murders the ‘reveals’ are more like statements and acknowledgements of the crimes that have taken place, again absent from any power or emotions that could’ve elevated these scenes.
Plemons and Fraser are definitely the sliver lining of the second act delivering great performances into some of the most entertaining scenes of the entire film. On the one hand, the need to present such events in a manner that respects the victims of these murders is vital but by taking no creative liberties the director runs the risk of audiences becoming disengaged and missing the message or lesson entirely. What the film lacks in climaxes it makes up for in dialogue, many scenes are incredibly well written and especially vital in making the character dynamics all the more complex and interesting. The stand out scene for this calibre of dialogue had to be the argument between Ernest and Mollie Burkhart, arguably the most powerful scene and carried a genuine authenticity behind it whilst perfectly demonstrating the White attitudes towards the native Americans at the time.
The court scenes proved to be entertaining as expected but the character development of Ernest is less impressive, more than halfway through the film and he’s still conflicted about the nature of his uncle, not to mention he barely questions the morality of his killings. Yes his character is supposed to be simple minded, and his Uncle manipulative, but it has to be questioned to what extent can a protagonist be so clueless, Ernest Burkhart is neither Hero or Anti-hero leaving a weak character that audiences will find difficult to engage with. Burkhart doesn’t even come to revelation towards the later stages without heavy influence and persuasion from the FBI.
Furthermore, by the end of the film we don’t see the aftermath of the Osage tribe, town or even the relationship between Ernest and Mollie. Instead Scorsese provides an arthouse-style breaking of the fourth wall which may be revelled by critics as a groundbreaking creative direction when in reality it provides no substance to the film.
As previously mentioned, the atmosphere is the saving grace of this film, not only is it immersive in a sensory sense but every character is individual and provides multiple perspectives on both the killings and the sense of community and coexistence in Fairfax. Overall, the quality of cinematography, acting and atmosphere cannot be overlooked yet distinct turning points and climaxes are scarcely found during the 3 and half hour runtime putting the memorability of this film at risk.
