Killers of the flower moon - a study

  Martin Scorsese has made a visually stunning adaptation of the book killers of the flower moon which is so compelling to watch and feels too long at the same time.

 Let's talk about the director's approach first and keep the spoilers to a minimum. Marty juggles the genre of the movie between a western, a drama and a courtroom procedural with ease. The ability of the director in visual story telling is seen throughout the movie. In his interviews Marty clearly told us that this movie is not going to be in the perspective of the Osage and he did not want to portray the FBI as the Messiah. The time the director has spent in universe building in the first 30 minutes of the movie is an example of artistic excellence. There is no unnecessary exposition or voice overs or texts on the screen which Marty probably felt too old for the modern audience. Usually his movies are characterised by continuous play of nostalgic songs in the background (then he kissed me in Goodfellas, In the still of the night in the Irishman), but in this movie he has taken a different turn and has used limited background score. In fact there is a good 5-10 minutes in the movie where there isn't any background score. To emphasize the cruelty of the violence Marty has chosen to show the gore aftermath of murders like showing brains oozing out of the skull. 

How Scorsese has treated the Osage part of the story: 

This is very crucial for the movie to make any sense in a socio political context. Is he going to portray the Osage like Lambs? As the famous dialogue from the movie goes "how many wolves do you see in the picture" Is he going to portray them as savages? Or over romanticize their customs and traditions.  The director has chosen none of these, instead he has portrayed as ordinary people with extraordinary problems with the advent of "white men money". In an anthropological perspective the film does acknowledge the transition of the Osage. With dialogues like "we were free men before your ships arrived". They are portrayed as cultured human beings and try to have a healthy relationship with the white people. But some might feel that they are portrayed to be too naive and easily gullible, they are not wrong as the Osage are shown to be trusting the shadiest characters and seem helpless in many scenes.

Characters in the movie

The movie presents an array of characters played by exceptional actors and actresses who have given memorable if not award winning performances. Though Leo, Deniro and Lily play the main characters, there are other characters who stand out as well. For instance, Anna brown played by Cara jade myers, an outspoken, bold Osage woman is one of the well written characters of the movie. Leonardo DiCaprio has delivered one of his best performances, he plays a dumb, greedy character pushed over to do anything ordered by his uncle. He has the most screen time and is a joy to watch, whether being in an emotional scene or while being in internal conflict with himself. Robert De niro's performance as Bill Hale is just the right amount. Little too much or too less would've altered the theme of the movie. Lilly Gladstone as Mollie has lived the character, we would want to cry when she cries and laugh when she laughs. 

Is it a Western?

The movie is a western in many aspects. The outlaws who exist in their hiding places are hired to kill through their contacts. The true colour of these thugs is shown. None of these toxic characters get a heroic shot or none of the violence is romanticized. The movie sticks true to its message and theme. The conflict is all about the money and material and they don't have any human connect with the victims. 

The portrayal of FBI

After the movie was announced there was a talk among movie lovers that this movie might reduce the emphasis on the killing of the Osage people and glorify the FBI's role. But on the contrary this movie has explored the struggle of the Osage to a great extent. There is physical and emotional struggle but we can identify the real struggle is not knowing who is their Ally and how to get justice. We often wonder if justice is even an option. They raise their own money to conduct investigations about the murders of their own people. 

The FBI does seem like a beacon of hope but at the end we are made to realise that justice is far from reach even after their intervention and the chances of the oppressor to get free from punishment is always lurking around.

Love vs Perversion vs Greed: 

Another question discussed in the subplot is does Leo's character Ernest develop a romantic interest towards Lily's character "Mollie". We get hints of greed and love in many scenes. On one hand he cares for her, feels sad when she falls sick on the other hand he feels nothing when her heart is broken as her sisters are killed for their oil money. The greed conquers Ernest in most scenarios as the death of her family means more money to be inherited by him. A short scene where Ernest (leo) consumes the poison he gives his wife (Mollie) feels a bit forced. Does he have any affection towards her? A question we can all debate on. 

Is this the right way to tell this story?

It might not be for everyone. But for Scorsese it works 80-90%. That's a success rate hard to see nowadays. There is no tension built, he clearly tells us which character is going to be killed in the next scene, which conflict is going to come up after the events at hand, but what we feel is the magnitude/heaviness of an event instead of the tension leading to it. It's not the killing Marty wants us to expect but the consequence and the series of events caused by it. He shows the killing scene during the trial in the court or at the funeral instead of the very scene we come to know about the murder. It helps us to see the problem/conflict at a different vantage point. 

Is it too long?

Short answer - yes 

Long answer - It is if you are watching with an audience who are not as ready as you to watch a slow burner. You will never be in a theatre full of 100 people who want to watch a 3.5 hour long movie even though it is an artistic masterpiece. The audience with popcorn and coca cola need a "django shoots the slave master scene or a Mexican stand off" now and then to stay awake. It will be a fabulous experience to watch in a streaming platform like Netflix.

That being said, this movie is definitely a really good theatrical experience if you have the patience and ignore the 20 people in the movie hall yawning in sync.