Even on a Cannes scale, the presentation of Martin Scorsese’s new film “Killers of the Flower Moon” took on an epic event character. Though different in tone and style from anything the Taxi Driver director has suggested before, his three-hour-long fresco has nonetheless won over festival-goers.
Posted at 6:45 p.m. Updated at 6:45 p.m.
Thierry Frémaux, general delegate of the festival, tried to persuade Martin Scorsese and the directors of the Apple and Paramount studios to include Killers of the Flower Moon in the official competition, but the new fresco by a filmmaker won the Palme d’or in 1976 thanks to Taxi Driver, it was finally awarded out of competition on Saturday. Indeed, the studios appreciated that last year’s premiere of Top Gun: Maverick and Elvis on the Croisette had launched the careers of these two great productions so well that there was no point in competing with a long-awaited feature film . , Director: one of the contemporary masters of cinema.
Obviously, the Killers of the Flower Moon presentation, which lasts 206 minutes, was the most popular event of the day on Saturday, as the journalists’ screening and the gala screening were held almost simultaneously. Bringing to the screen a screenplay he co-wrote with Eric Roth (Munich, Dune) and inspired by a book published by David Grann, Martin Scorsese offers one of his most successful films, although the grace here is on a little less spectacular way is expressed than in his previous works.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY PARAMOUNT PICTURES
Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio in Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon
“Someone who kicked a dog is more likely to be convicted than someone who killed an Indian. Started by a lawyer in this 1920’s America, this line encapsulates the state of mind that existed in Oklahoma at the time. And likely explains why Leonardo DiCaprio and the filmmaker have evolved this project over the years to more specifically focus on the story of the Osage Nation, which occupied oil-rich territory and whose members were mysteriously – and horribly – murdered.
A true criminal mind
Killers of the Flower Moon opens beautifully with an Aboriginal funeral ritual, ending with the explosion of a spray of oil spraying cheering crowds. When Ernest Burkhart (Leonardo DiCaprio), a war veteran, returns to his uncle William Hale (Robert De Niro), a leading rancher in the area, we’re surprised to see just how much importance crossbreeding is held in the family, and how crossbreeding is Connections between them look like First Nations white men and women appear integrated and harmonious. This is of course a misleading impression.
The story embodies the spirit of true crime and is dedicated to uncovering the culprits in murders that continue to accumulate and are systematically targeted at indigenous people. We are particularly interested in the journey of Ernest and his wife Molly (Lily Gladstone), who are particularly affected by the tragedy. Uncle William is also heavily involved in the couple’s life, which also gives us great scenes between Martin Scorsese’s two favorite actors as they meet for the first time in front of the filmmaker’s camera.
Also worth mentioning is the performance of Leonardo DiCaprio, remarkable in the skin of a man who gradually loses all his certainties, and especially that of Robert De Niro. The latter plays one of the biggest roles of his career here. His character is both fundamentally human and incredibly cruel, reminiscent—particularly in a scene where he punishes—of Al Capone from The Untouchables…
Lily Gladstone, a revelation
However, the reveal of Killers of the Flower Moon is Lily Gladstone. In particular, in the films of Kelly Reichardt (“Certain Women”, “First Cow”), the actress pleases us with a great composition in the role of a woman married to a man who may not be quite the one she used to know believes.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY PARAMOUNT PICTURES
Leonardo DiCaprio and Lily Gladstone in Killers of the Flower Moon. Martin Scorsese’s film will be presented out of competition at Cannes.
Finally, Martin Scorsese lifts the veil on a little-known chapter of American history, told through the eyes of those tragically damaged by the injustices of the time.
Of course, we’ll have another chance to talk about it over the next few months, as Killers of the Flower Moon hits theaters on October 20th. Martin Scorsese’s feature film will then be streamed online via Apple+.