Killers of the Flower Moon: A Review
By Jex Mecham
This past weekend, I made the hour drive to Zeus Digital Theaters in Waynesboro to catch the 3:30 PM showing of Martin Scorsese’s latest film, Killers of the Flower Moon. The star-studded cast features the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, and Lily Gladstone. The movie is Scorsese’s 26th full-length film, and clocks in at 3 hours and 26 minutes.
The movie, set in Oklahoma in the 1920s, tells the true story of the Osage Indian murders, which were carried out in the Osage Nation of northeast Oklahoma, after the discovery of oil on tribal land. The story follows Ernest Burkhart (DiCaprio) as he and his uncle William “King” Hale (De Niro) plot to gain oil rights via Burkhart’s Native Wife, Molly Kyle (Gladstone).
The film features themes of racism, cultural identity, and betrayal, with stunning visuals of the Oklahoma prairie. The characters are well acted and written, and tell a striking tale that leaves the viewer pondering on the injustice of the situation.
The main criticism I have of the film is the run time. As the action slows, the movie begins to drag on, and the last hour left me fighting the urge to close my eyes for a nap. I say this not to detract from the movie — it was great. However, if movies are going to continue to up the run time, then it is time to start including an intermission to allow moviegoers to use the bathroom, re-up on caffeine, and grab more snacks for the sake of viewers’ sanity.
Ultimately, I give Killers of the Flower Moon a 7/10. The movie was pretty good, with great acting and cinematography, though brutally long in terms of run time. If you want to kill an afternoon, or are super into film, then this is the movie for you. If you have a small bladder, short attention span, or are sleep deprived, you may want to wait until it comes to streaming.
