Among the many highlights of “Killers of the Flower Moon” is the way the film grows closer, hiding in its darkness and retreating, over the course of its three and a half hours of footage. It goes from wide shots of the Oklahoma oil fields to enclosed spaces where the characters begin to retreat into shadows, guilt, shame and disgrace.
ALSO READ: “The Exorcist: Believers” and the trend of “reliving” horror saga: director and producer speak
As with any historical film, the facts are known and there are no spoilers; However, it is a much less discussed and documented episode than others in American history books. The film tells how the Osage native community became the richest in the world per capita in the early 20th century thanks to the discovery of oil under their granted lands. A blessing that would later turn into a nightmare as its members began dying one by one, either brutally murdered or under mysterious circumstances.
Responsible for these crimes was a group of white citizens who were after the Osage deposits and money. To play the first, the perpetrators, Scorsese turns to Robert De Niro (as William Hale) and Leonardo DiCaprio (as Ernest Burkhart, Hale’s nephew); On the victims’ side, Lily Gladstone stands out in the role of Mollie Burkhart, who comes from Osage and is Ernest’s wife. The triangulation between these three characters is what sustains a plot marked by romance and betrayal.
Robert De Niro and Brendan Fraser in a scene from “Killers on the Moon.” (Paramount Pictures)
BEYOND STEREOTYPES
Scorsese has admitted that at some point in the film’s conception he had to rewrite the script because he felt it focused too much on the perpetrators’ version of events and wanted to give more prominence to the Osage’s point of view. It is interesting to analyze this plot twist, which is clearly felt in the story, starting from the fact that it is a film that avoids a condescending look at this minority population. Here, the indigenous people are portrayed beyond their vulnerability as complex characters with multiple emotional levels and great psychological depth. They are not automatically victims, but protagonists of a network whose core is ambition and evil.
In this sense, there is another interesting feature that sets “The Moon Killers” apart: unlike other Scorsese films – think “Goodfellas” or “Departed”, “Casino” or “The Irishman” – there are none This film doesn’t even come close to romanticizing crime. There is no mafia with a code of honor or friendly criminals here, but a group of devious and cruel characters who are driven by money. The most important of them is undoubtedly Hale, played by De Niro, a dark and ruthless figure.
DiCaprio’s Ernest Burkhart, who moves between greed and love for his wife Mollie, played by Gladstone, is more conflicted. Both are impressive in their roles, expansive and threatening when the situation demands it, tense and fragile when the context changes and demands it. A good portion of The Assassins of the Moon’s narrative could be summed up in their faces, which wither and decay for different but complementary reasons.
After all, Scorsese’s film is also a romance and a tragedy. The story of a doomed relationship between a white man and a “redskin.” Not surprisingly, from the moment their romance begins to spark, her character seems aware that he is hiding an interest in her money. Nevertheless, he dares to take risks and bursts of passion that will lead to fateful events.
The portrayal of the Osage community in “The Moon Killers” is respectful and compelling. (Paramount Pictures)
A VIOLENT STORY
As Scorsese has done in several of his other works, The Moon Killers is a sharp and remarkable look back at American developments. Although the focus is on the drama of the Osage, there are also allusions to the Tulsa massacre (also in Oklahoma), considered the worst episode of racial violence in the North American country; and it also introduces us to the genesis of what would eventually become the FBI, although the portrait seems a little more idealized at this point: David Grann’s book, on which the film is based, reveals how problematic the investigation into the crimes of the Osage was were errors and negligence.
As I said at the beginning of the text, The Assassins of the Moon is a film that gradually comes to an end. This is also why his death scenes change pace: they range from violent killings and brutal action to a slow process of poisoning, a disease that eats away at the inside, the body and the soul.
The final sequence of the film, perhaps the only one that could be ruined by a “spoiler” (stop here if you don’t want to find out much), is presented to us in the manner of a radio drama broadcast, in which the fates of the protagonists. There’s even a cameo from Scorsese himself, reciting Mollie Burkhart’s tragic end, accompanied by a musical show and sound effects. Perhaps an ironic nod to a chapter of American history that has never been in the spotlight. The silence around us is the greatest symptom of his shame.
The token
“The Moon Killers”
Original title: “Killers of the Flower Moon”
Director: Martin Scorsese.
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Lily Gladstone, Robert De Niro, Jesse Plemons.
Duration: 206 minutes.
Premiere: October 19th in the cinema.
Rating: 5 out of 5.