This is a Martin Scorsese, directed film with Leonardo Dicaprio and Robert De Niro as leads – Killers of the Flower Moon (2023) lives up to that expectation in every frame. The style of using temporal shifts in the screenplay to alternate between the present investigation and flashbacks adds a sense of anticipation. Instead of focusing solely on the character played by DiCaprio, it also follows the victim, the Osage woman played by Lily Gladstone was a refreshing change. Mangoidiots is pleased to give this long film, a Ripe.
Within minutes of the start, we are effortlessly transported to the early 20th century and to the prosperous township of the Osage Nation, where the native tribe retains the oil-lease revenues and has become super wealthy. The story is about one white, called King, a deputy sheriff who plans and executes one of the most sinister plots of wealth grab executed over the decades. The screenplay moves slowly and before we realise we are saddened at the crimes being committed against the natives.
For an actor, it will be impossible to get even noticed with Dicaprio & De Niro in a frame, but Lily Gladstone manages to outshine them. As we leave the cinema, her character Mollie Kyle has become the true star of the film. I thank Scorsese for spotlighting a page in American history that was so dark.
Lily Gladstone and Leonardo Dicaprio
Comments