Killers of the Flower Moon

 

I know this picture is from a different film. But this is how they strap you in to watch it at the theatre. No breaks for anyone!

Movie: Killers of the Flower Moon

Running Time: 3:26 (aaaaah!)

Nominated for: Best Picture, Director, Actress, Supporting Actor, Cinematography, Editing, Costume Design, Production Design, Original Song, Original Score

How I watched: AMC A List

When it had me: Lily Gladstone's quiet power

When it lost me: It almost tipped too far into comedy?

What systems does it challenge: White Supremacy, Generational Trauma, Genocide

As the first review I'm writing for the 2024 Oscar ceremony, I guess I feel most certain that this will be one of the Best Picture nominees. I was really looking forward to this movie because as a fan of Martin Scorsese, I tend to prefer his non-mafia related films. I was not disappointed. This film feels like it has so much careful thought and deliberate decision making. There's a reverence to the topic that imbues the whole thing with meaning. Which is good because some would say that he shouldn't even be making this movie; perhaps film makers from First Nations should be telling their own histories. I can only say that I hope they get to do so, in a myriad of styles and permutations.

The story is tragic, disgusting, infuriating, mind-boggling. Gather ye Americans and sit through this discomfort. Reckon with the violence that birthed our glorious country and squirm when you see the unctuous stupidity and depravity of Leo DiCaprio's sweaty face. Go ahead and feel badly about it; it's not our fault, just our history.

The acting is fantastic. The cinematography is amazing. I'm thinking of you, scene of a property being burned. Hazy heat distortions, saturated oranges and reds, white devils silhouetted in the foreground. A real nightmare grounded in the action of terrorists. The moment was such a meditation on grief, anger and loss. It worked for me.

Leonardo Di Caprio and Robert DeNiro have such a great chemistry on screen. Almost too good. A couple of their scenes felt ad-libbed and almost funny? Their take on evil mastermind and evil follower really leaned into Leo's character's stupidity to such a high degree at times that I thought I would lose it. It walked a careful line and didn't go too far.

Can we talk about my hero, Thelma Schoonmaker? Holding those tonal boundaries, giving me time to breathe and process, weaving a three and a half hour tale in such a way that I wasn't angry to sit through it? She is a virtuoso of our craft! Please give her an Oscar.

There was a court scene at the end. That's the second time this year. I sat through a whole history and then end up in court. This was truncated enough for my liking, but it feels like such a potential trap to fall into.

I loved this film and I feel like no one talks about it. It got a respectable number of nominations but I don't think it will garner any wins other than possibly Lily Gladstone. I'd suggest you break it into smaller chunks if you plan on watching it but theatres got in trouble for offering an intermission. That's not how Marty and Thelma want you to take it in. Sorry.