Killers of the Flower Moon is a film directed by Martin Scorsese starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, and Lily Gladstone. A three-and-a-half-hour film that pays homage to classic American cinema and its most native genre, the western. Additionally, it settles scores with the United States itself, featuring two actors who have had much to say in recent years.
One of the clear contenders for the Oscar. We will see if, as is often the case with Scorsese’s style, the film ends up with many nominations and few awards (except for The Departed, of course).
Premise
Members of the Osage tribe in the United States are murdered under mysterious circumstances in the 1920s sparking a major F.B.I. investigation involving J. Edgar Hoover.
About the film
“Killers of the Flower Moon” is a true luxury in terms of cinematography; no one can deny that. Every shot and every scene, along with the director’s distinctive style that he has refined over the years and that has influenced American cinema for thirty years: fast, aesthetic, with a significant presence of the soundtrack. Moreover, the actors, bringing together two iconic figures from the latter part of their careers, Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio, who coincide in this movie and star in the film they were destined to make together.
The story is simultaneously terrible, as always with Scorsese, with moralistic touches and a strong echo of conflicting guilt. And behind it all is Scorsese’s ongoing attempt, throughout his career, to use cinema to make another mark on the history of the United States (as he did with Gangs of New York and many other period films). This one is very different, though with a very similar visual style, albeit calmer, more focused on the characters and their psychology rather than flashy aesthetics and editing tricks.
The film boasts exceptional cinematography in a production that is steeped in classic cinema more than other works by the New York director.
Our Opinion
We will see what happens at the Academy Awards, which are always so preoccupied with matters unrelated to the film itself.
As a film, it is another one to study from this man called Martin Scorsese.