Scorsese's done it again. Killers of the Flower Moon is another masterpiece, or close to it. I have next to no complaints. It finds the legendary filmmaker at the top of his game (he's been there since 2013 it seems, with an amazing unbroken streak), telling what might be his bleakest and most emotionally distressing story yet.
It was expected that a film about a series of real-life killings committed by greedy people against indigenous people was never going to be easygoing, but it's the execution here that counts. It's constant dread and an exploration of twisted, manipulative, and often downplayed evil (at least in the eyes of the evildoers) that's always in the shadows, and just hidden enough to ensure such violence continues. It disturbs and creeps up on you in ways that are difficult to anticipate or prepare oneself for.
It's an exploration of the death by a thousand cuts equivalent of atrocious, systemic murder. Seeing blatant crime against a race or group of people is troubling when it's out in the open, but in depicting it as both blatant and sometimes in a more insidious and calculated way, it makes you think about how many similar cases might've happened that weren't noticed or brought to light - not just in America, but anywhere with indigenous populations. It's here where Killers of the Flower Moon isn't just powerful for the specific story being told (and it is), but for what it suggests on a broader level.
It's like Shoah, in that way - the lengthy and soul-crushing Holocaust documentary from 1985 that is as much about the horrifying banality and numbing effect of great, widespread, non-stop evil as it is about laying bare what evils were committed. The pacing and length of Killers of the Flower Moon are essential to conveying these things. Having to spend so much time with this story and these troubling themes makes them all the more impactful.
The film's beautifully shot, masterfully edited, and the three leads - Leonardo DiCaprio, Lily Gladstone, and Robert De Niro - are all deserving of awards recognition. Those who thought The Irishman dragged might feel the same here, but I thought it earned just about every minute of its 3.5 hour runtime.
Complaints? DiCaprio contorts his face like a bulldog the whole movie - I only noticed at about the 2.5 hour mark, but I couldn't shake the mental image. It's still a great performance, and the character he portays here is unlike any other he's ever played. There is also a sense of creeping familiarity to parts of the final act, but some interesting turns are taken. And then the ending... the final scene and then the very last shot are both brilliant, and helped the film end on a powerful note. That being said, I do expect the final scene to be divisive. Good, I think.
It was expected that a film about a series of real-life killings committed by greedy people against indigenous people was never going to be easygoing, but it's the execution here that counts. It's constant dread and an exploration of twisted, manipulative, and often downplayed evil (at least in the eyes of the evildoers) that's always in the shadows, and just hidden enough to ensure such violence continues. It disturbs and creeps up on you in ways that are difficult to anticipate or prepare oneself for.
It's an exploration of the death by a thousand cuts equivalent of atrocious, systemic murder. Seeing blatant crime against a race or group of people is troubling when it's out in the open, but in depicting it as both blatant and sometimes in a more insidious and calculated way, it makes you think about how many similar cases might've happened that weren't noticed or brought to light - not just in America, but anywhere with indigenous populations. It's here where Killers of the Flower Moon isn't just powerful for the specific story being told (and it is), but for what it suggests on a broader level.
It's like Shoah, in that way - the lengthy and soul-crushing Holocaust documentary from 1985 that is as much about the horrifying banality and numbing effect of great, widespread, non-stop evil as it is about laying bare what evils were committed. The pacing and length of Killers of the Flower Moon are essential to conveying these things. Having to spend so much time with this story and these troubling themes makes them all the more impactful.
The film's beautifully shot, masterfully edited, and the three leads - Leonardo DiCaprio, Lily Gladstone, and Robert De Niro - are all deserving of awards recognition. Those who thought The Irishman dragged might feel the same here, but I thought it earned just about every minute of its 3.5 hour runtime.
Complaints? DiCaprio contorts his face like a bulldog the whole movie - I only noticed at about the 2.5 hour mark, but I couldn't shake the mental image. It's still a great performance, and the character he portays here is unlike any other he's ever played. There is also a sense of creeping familiarity to parts of the final act, but some interesting turns are taken. And then the ending... the final scene and then the very last shot are both brilliant, and helped the film end on a powerful note. That being said, I do expect the final scene to be divisive. Good, I think.