On December 5, the digital release of Martin Scorsese's film 'Killers of the Flower Moon' took place. The 'Apple' streaming service gave the director a lot of money and did not limit him in runtime, and we tell you what came of it.

In his old age, Martin Scorsese has become friends with streaming services. Four years ago, Netflix released the expensive ($160 million) 3.5-hour 'The Irishman', and this year, the main hater of the Marvel cinematic universe presented a new film, 'Killers of the Flower Moon', generously sponsored by Apple (this time with a budget of $200 million) and also lasting 3.5 hours. It's quite difficult to watch such a film in one sitting, but it's worth trying (though if you can't, it works fine in several sittings).

What's the Plot?

At the beginning of the 20th century, the Osage Indians, forcibly relocated to the lands of Oklahoma, are literally preparing for the funeral of their old ways of life due to the invasion of white men into their personal boundaries. However, black liquid suddenly begins to gush from the soil, truly heralding great changes. Having practically no rights, the Osage, by chance, become fabulously rich, attracting many whites seeking to profit. 

After World War I, Ernest Burkhart (Leonardo DiCaprio) returns to America, specifically to Osage County, Oklahoma, where his uncle William Hale (Robert De Niro) is far from the last man, as the Indians love him and everyone calls him 'King'. The relative helps his nephew become a driver, who at that time often drove wealthy Indians. 

Through this, Ernest meets Mollie Kyle (Lily Gladstone) — a young, full-blooded, and importantly, wealthy Indian woman suffering from diabetes, whom Burkhart (not without his uncle's prompting) decides to marry. The cunning King didn't approve this union for nothing. Mollie's family owns oil shares in these lands, and Hale wouldn't mind all this passing to his nephew (essentially to himself), and the conditions for this are the simplest: the death of Mollie's entire family — her mother, three sisters, and eventually herself.

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Martin Scorsese's new film is based on the bestseller by journalist David Grann, who writes for The New Yorker, 'Killers of the Flower Moon: Oil, Money, Murder', which tells about the wave of murders of Osage Indians in the 1920s. This series of crimes, which shook Oklahoma, is called the 'Reign of Terror'. Many fought for the adaptation, but Imperative Entertainment won the auction, acquiring the rights for $5 million. 

The great director of 'Goodfellas' was chosen as the director, and Leonardo DiCaprio was decided for the lead role. Initially, he was supposed to play Tom White, an agent of the newly formed Bureau of Investigation (future FBI), who is foregrounded in Grann's book. However, over time, Scorsese realized he didn't want to tell the story of a white man who saved everyone. The maestro talked to the victims' relatives and, together with Eric Roth, reworked the text, shifting the focus to Ernest Burkhart and concentrating on his relationship with his uncle and wife. DiCaprio remained attached to the lead role but had to play a different character, while former Texas Ranger Tom White was ultimately played by Jesse Plemons.

This arrangement confused Paramount, and they decided to abandon sponsorship and wide distribution of the film, and then Apple picked up the project, seeing in it not so much a commercially profitable film (with such a huge budget, such a story had almost no chance of recouping costs) but an excellent opportunity to advertise their streaming service. In the end, Paramount did release 'Killers of the Flower Moon' worldwide (after all, the 'apple' corporation still spent the production money), but exclusive digital streaming rights remain with Apple TV+. What can I say, they can afford such expenses; they'll recoup it in a couple of days on phones.

By reworking the script, Scorsese managed to make the film darker and deeper. Firstly, the director was able to represent the Osage — the victims of this story — in more detail. Tribal representatives were on set, helping actors with the language, appearing as extras and in cameo roles, and consulting costume designers and prop masters, resulting in their lifestyle, daily life, and appearance being portrayed with maximum authenticity (the credits include separate thanks to the Indians).

Secondly, 'Killers of the Flower Moon' transformed from a police procedural into a crime drama about villains, and in that field, as is known, Scorsese is almost a god. Therefore, despite the impressive 3.5-hour runtime, the film is very interesting to watch. Of course, it could have been trimmed a bit, because it's hard to sit through such a length at once, no matter how engaging the story. But the director apparently valued all these long shots and the slow dynamics of plot development. He wanted to show as detailed a picture of the injustice of that time as possible, capturing it all with his personal presence in the epilogue.

Watch Your Films! So Many Corpses, So Much Blood! And There Are Killers of the Flower Moon, and Here Are Killers of the Flower Moon!

Besides being entertaining and well-shot, 'Killers of the Flower Moon' is also very socially conscious. However, the theme of egregious injustice in an Indian reservation in the 1920s will not resonate with the whole world. This is a purely American story (and a very shameful one), picking at an old wound. With this film, Scorsese wanted to draw public attention (especially journalists, writers, and filmmakers) to the fate of the Osage. 

Many, many Indians suffered during the 'Reign of Terror', but not all criminals were punished. That's why the filmmakers find it important to bring this issue to public discussion, as it may give hope that professionals will pay attention and uncover other important details or tragic stories worth publicizing. Americans generally like to work through their old traumas, and this is one example. Although sometimes the road leads astray, and we get an Afro-mermaid or other 'reinterpretations' from Disney, which are more aimed at making money from social issues rather than correcting discrimination (more on this topic ).

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Open material

A big-budget project from a cult director, which will compete for a slew of awards along with the 'Oscar' (and will definitely win something), plus with an incredible cast — a good way to make people think about why today most Osage lands belong not to the indigenous population but to various organizations like churches and oil companies. Perhaps 'Killers of the Flower Moon' has already yielded first results; we just don't know about it yet because we don't follow this information field, which mostly concerns American society. The main thing is not to overdo it and not to have any Indian Lives (and Money) Matter.

As for the incredible cast, there is no exaggeration in these words. Robert De Niro is in amazing form here and performs as if he never starred in dubious B-movies (mostly comedies).

Leonardo DiCaprio is generally like good wine that only gets better with age. A very strong role. I don't think it's worth saying it's the best or one of the best, as Leo is almost always at the top, and ranking is already quite difficult (but the fact that he is no longer voiced by Sergei Burunov is one of the biggest losses of Russian dubbing). DiCaprio gives it his all, thrusting his lower jaw forward (I wonder if he borrowed the technique from De Niro?). The scene where their characters have a dialogue at the beginning looks like they are parodying each other, although maybe Burkhart does it on purpose because he deeply respects his uncle and wants to be like him even in such details.

In general, Leonardo DiCaprio plays a specific fool here who unquestioningly obeys King Hale (partly because he fears him, partly because he respects him, partly because he is really stupid and takes everything at face value). Moreover, as a person, Burkhart is so dependent on stronger-willed people that he cannot become the main one anywhere: neither at home nor in the company of his uncle and brother. The character shows weakness everywhere and looks like a pathetic tool in others' hands, not understanding that he will be discarded at the first opportunity. The emotions the viewer experiences while watching the character are the most vivid indicator of acting professionalism and excellent performance.

Also, one cannot fail to highlight Lily Gladstone. The woman is in no way inferior to her more famous and experienced colleagues. Her Mollie is very strong, wise, and charismatic Indian woman, but at the same time she is tender, loving, and empathetic. 'Discovery of the Year,' you can't call the actress otherwise. You don't even have to guess whether this trio will get an Oscar nomination. One hundred percent they will, and maybe someone will even win. Against their background, the other characters turned out pale and even a bit empty. Of course, it's nice to see Brendan Fraser (especially him) and Jesse Plemons on screen, but they are unlikely to get any laurels.

In addition to the cast, 'Killers of the Flower Moon' has a wonderful soundtrack created by Robbie Robertson. Unfortunately, the composer did not live to see the premiere by just a few months and died in August of this year after a short battle with cancer (the film is dedicated to his memory), but I think such a strong final work in his career is something to be proud of. It is possible that the composer's work may also be recognized with some awards.

What's the Verdict?

Martin Scorsese's new work is, as they say, big cinema from a big master and definitely one of the best films of the year. Of course, it's not about being the best in the director's career, because everyone knows that his filmography includes great masterpieces that are almost impossible to compete with. Nevertheless, 'Killers of the Flower Moon' is definitely an excellent film worth spending your precious time on. Even if it's a full 3.5 hours. It's gratifying that in his old age, Scorsese is not losing ground and continues to create good projects. We hope this trend continues until the end of his directorial career (voluntary or forced).