Killers of the Flower Moon: Co-written, produced, and directed by Martin Scorsese, Killers of the Flower Moon is an epic Western murder drama film released in 2023 in the United States. David Grann’s 2017 nonfiction book served as the inspiration for Eric Roth and Martin Scorsese’s screenplay. Following the discovery of oil on tribal territory, a string of killings of Osage members and their relatives in the Osage Nation takes center stage in this 1920s Oklahoma drama. The local political ruler, who was corrupt, attempted to embezzle the money that the tribe members had maintained as mining rights on their reservation.
In addition to Jesse Plemons, Tantoo Cardinal, John Lithgow, and Brendan Fraser, the ensemble cast is led by Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, and Lily Gladstone. It is the sixth feature film that Scorsese has worked on with DiCaprio, the tenth with De Niro, the first with both actors combined (the three had previously worked on the 2015 short film The Audition), and the eleventh and last with composer Robbie Robertson, who passed away two months before the movie’s premiere. Robertson is honored in the movie.
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Killers of the Flower Moon
Killers of the Flower Moon promises to be a captivating film that delves into a dark chapter of American history, shedding light on the injustices faced by the Osage Nation. With an impressive cast and talented filmmakers behind it, this movie is poised to be a thought-provoking and compelling cinematic experience. As we eagerly await its release, let’s anticipate a powerful storytelling that will resonate with audiences and spark important conversations about our past. Get ready to immerse yourself in this gripping tale brought to life on the silver screen.
Killers of the Flower Moon Details
Directed by
Martin Scorsese
Written by
Eric Roth
Martin Scorsese
Based on
Killers of the Flower Moon
by David Grann
Produced by
Dan Friedkin
Bradley Thomas
Martin Scorsese
Daniel Lupi
Starring
Leonardo DiCaprio
Robert De Niro
Lily Gladstone
Cinematography
Rodrigo Prieto
Edited by
Thelma Schoonmaker
Music by
Robbie Robertson
Production
companies
Apple Studios
Imperative Entertainment
Sikelia Productions
Appian Way Productions
Distributed by
Paramount Pictures
Apple Original Films (through Apple TV+)
Release dates
May 20, 2023 (Cannes)
October 20, 2023 (United States)
Running time
206 minutes
Country
United States
Languages
English
Osage
Budget
$200 million
Box office
$157 million
Plot
Elders of the Osage Nation lament the absorption of their descendants into White American society by burying a ceremonial pipe. As they meander through their Oklahoma reservation amid the yearly “flower moon” spectacle of blooming fields, a few Osage discover oil seeping out of the earth. The tribe prospers because it keeps its mineral rights and its members get a portion of the oil-lease earnings; nonetheless, the law mandates that full-blood and half-blood members’ funds be managed by legal guardians chosen by a white court in the event that they are deemed “incompetent”.
After serving in World War I, Ernest Burkhart returns to 1919 and settles on his uncle William King Hale’s expansive reserve ranch with his brother Byron. Hale, a cattle rancher and reserve deputy sheriff, speaks with the Osage in their language and presents gifts to them in a benevolent manner.
Cast
Leonardo DiCaprio as Ernest Burkhart, a World War I veteran
Robert De Niro as William King Hale, Ernest’s uncle
Lily Gladstone as Mollie Burkhart, Ernest’s wife
Jesse Plemons as Thomas Bruce White Sr., a BOI agent leading the murder investigation
Tantoo Cardinal as Lizzie Q, Mollie’s mother
John Lithgow as Peter Leaward, the lead prosecutor in the trials of Hale and Burkhart
Brendan Fraser as W. S. Hamilton, Hale’s attorney
Cara Jade Myers as Anna, Mollie’s first sister
JaNae Collins as Reta, Mollie’s second sister
Jillian Dion as Minnie, Mollie’s third sister
Jason Isbell as Bill Smith, Minnie’s and later Reta’s husband
William Belleau as Henry Roan, Mollie’s first husband and close friend and later victim of Hale
Louis Cancelmi as Kelsie Morrison, an acquaintance and accomplice of Burkhart and Hale
Scott Shepherd as Byron Burkhart, Ernest’s younger brother
Brent Langdon as Barney McBride, a white oilman who travels to Washington, D.C. to seek federal help in solving the murders
Everett Waller as Paul Red Eagle
Talee Redcorn as Non-Hon-Zhin-Ga[d] / Traditional Leader
Yancey Red Corn as Chief Bonnicastle
Tatanka Means as John Wren, a Native American undercover BOI agent
Tommy Schultz as Blackie Thompson
Sturgill Simpson as Henry Grammer
Ty Mitchell as John Ramsey
Gary Basaraba as Burns, a detective
Charlie Musselwhite as Alvin Reynolds, an agent
Pat Healy as John Burger
Steve Witting as Dr. James Shoun
Steve Routman as Dr. David Shoun
Gene Jones as Pitts Beatty
Michael Abbott Jr. as Frank Smith, an agent
Jack White as radio show actor
Larry Sellers as Non-Hon-Zhin-Ga
Barry Corbin as Undertaker Turton
Randy Houser as Scott Mathis
Pete Yorn as Acie Kirby, explosives expert
Katherine Willis as Myrtle Hale
Norma Jean as Vera
Elden Henson as Duke Burkhart
Steve Eastin as Judge John Calvin Pollock
Larry Fessenden as radio voice (for Hale)
Martin Scorsese as radio show producer
Vince Giordano as radio show bandleader
Themes
The main focus of the book and movie’s theme analysis has been how Killers of the Flower Moon differs from classic Westerns made in the old Hollywood style. The Nation’s Jorge Cotte wrote: “Unlike the visions of unbounded freedom found in traditional westerns, Martin Scorsese’s new film is a study of a West bounded by the vertical geometry of oil rigs and the violent conspiracies of powerful men.”
“At the heart of Grann’s book is a set of unsolved crimes: a slew of unsolved murders, then called the ‘Reign of Terror,’ that tormented the Osage from 1921 to 1926, and the corresponding emergence,” Cotte continued, highlighting the thematic differences between the book version and the film version of Scorsese’s film.
Production
A $5 million cinematic adaptation of David Grann’s nonfiction book Killers of the Flower Moon was awarded to Imperative Entertainment on March 10, 2016, following a bidding war. Film producers Bradley Thomas and Dan Friedkin of the studio would produce it. April 2017 saw the announcement that Eric Roth’s film, which stars Robert De Niro, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Martin Scorsese, was being considered for production.Scorsese had long been a collaborator with both De Niro and DiCaprio, but the three had only before worked together on the short film The Audition (2015).
It was revealed in June 2019 that the movie would be distributed by Paramount Pictures. Later, as Paramount became concerned that the movie’s budget may exceed $200 million, Scorsese sought out to Netflix and Apple TV+ to finance and distribute the picture. Paramount remained amenable to a partnership in which they co-produced the movie with another party. The movie will be co-financed and co-distributed by Apple TV+, with Paramount serving as the primary distributor, it was revealed in May 2020.
Music
Composer of the incidental score and frequent collaborator with Scorsese, Robbie Robertson is of Cayuga and Mohawk descent. It has drawn comparisons to “old-timey,” “bluesy,” and “percussive” music from detractors. On the soundtrack of the movie are songs by Native Americans and popular music from the 1920s. Just before he passed away in August 2023, Robertson finished this film score. To his memory, the film is dedicated.
Release
At the conclusion of its showing, Killers of the Flower Moon was given a nine-minute standing ovation at the 76th Cannes Film Festival, where it made its global debut on May 20, 2023. Due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, none of the cast members were present at the film’s United States debut, which took place on September 27, 2023, at Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center in New York City. Initially scheduled to debut in a few cinemas on October 6, 2023, the movie was supposed to be released nationwide on October 20, 2023, by Apple TV+, Paramount Pictures, and their Apple Original Films label. Subsequently, the limited release was canceled, and on October 20, the movie was released in theaters worldwide.
Variety claimed that Rai Cinema and Leone Film Group in Italy had obtained the rights for a local theatrical release instead of Paramount, having done so midway through the film’s development. It was revealed that the movie will also be distributed in IMAX theaters just before the second trailer for the movie debuted in July 2023. A few of theaters in the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Brazil, Denmark, and the United States added their own commercial breaks to the movie. Paramount and Apple Original Films took measures to halt it because they believed the cinemas were in breach of their contract. The length of the movie has drawn criticism, something that both director Martin Scorsese and editor Thelma Schoonmaker have acknowledged in public.
Reception
Killers of the Flower Moon has made $68 million in revenue in the US and Canada and $89 million in other regions as of March 7, 2024, for a total of $157 million globally. According to Variety, a standard theatrical release would require the movie to make between $500 and $600 million in revenue worldwide in order to break even. According to a February 2024 article by Deadline Hollywood, the movie lost Apple approximately $20 million during its theatrical run, but home rentals more than made up for it. The movie was expected to make $20–25 million its first weekend at 3,621 cinemas in the US and Canada. Including $2.6 million from Thursday night previews, the movie brought in $9.4 million on its opening day. It then made its $23 premiere.
Notes
Osage: Mihopa hlaska žika c’eðe. The Osage title appears on screen at the end of the film, before the English title.
The federal Burke Act (1906) led to the creation of conservatorships for “incompetent Indians” that required white legal guardians to manage the affairs of Native American wards. All Native Americans with a blood quantum of one-half or more were required to have a court-appointed guardian. Ostensibly set up to protect tribal members, the guardianships became the basis of widespread exploitation of them by white people instead. Appointments historically continued into the 1930s.
In addition, Byron, also known as Bryan, had his charges dropped after he turned state’s evidence against Kelsie (aka Kelsey) Morrison.
Jump up to:“Nonhonzhinga” is translated as medicine man.
This tenth nomination only includes Scorsese’s accolades within this Director category. He has additional nominations in writing and producing. He now has the second most, surpassing Steven Spielberg, who has 9 for directing (and 2 wins). Meanwhile, William Wyler maintains the record with 12 nominations (and 3 wins).
ohn Huston was 79 when he received his final Best Director nomination, for Prizzi’s Honor (1985).
