BLOOD MONEY

KILLERS OF THE FLOWERMOON Scorsese. De Niro. DiCaprio. The holytrinity unite to explore a dark chapter in American history…

Bowing to rave reviews at this year’s Cannes Film Festival (‘It’s the richest, strongest movie [Scorsese’s] made in nearly 30 years,’ trumpeted The Guardian), Killers of the Flower Moon is as much a western as it is an historical epic. But this is no creation myth in the manner of John Ford, but rather a chilling dramatisation of how the West was really won by venal white men spilling blood on the earth even as they drained it of oil.

Martin Scorsese’s 26th narrative feature is based on David Grann’s 2017 nonfiction bestseller about the Osage murders in the early 20s. Set on the prairies of Oklahoma, where the Osage tribe has been herded and now enjoy great wealth, their stony land offering up huge reserves of oil, it begins with Ernest Burkhart (Leonardo DiCaprio) returning from the war to work for his uncle William Hale (Robert De Niro), a cattle baron. Hale is a rich man but far from sated, and so he encourages Ernest to marry Mollie (Lily Gladstone) and thus stake a legal claim on the ‘headrights’ to her oil deposits. What follows is a dense tale of deceit, theft, addiction, depression and a gaslit marriage, to say nothing of the serial murders that mirror the larger erasure of Native Americans from the US.

‘David Grann did meticulous research about the facts of these cases, but Marty’s always like, “But I need to know, culturally, how people did things, and what kind of words they would use,”’ explains producer Marianne Bower, who’s worked with Scorsese since 2002’s Gangs of New York. She’s stressing how Osage people advised on the movie at every turn. ‘We needed people to say, “That’s appropriate” or “That’s not” or to [show the actors how to] move a certain way, or to speak a certain way. And also the point of view embedded in that.’

‘We were always going to be shooting in Osage County,’ says producer Daniel Lupi. ‘There were people at the studio going, “Why don’t you go to Atlanta because of tax rebates?” It was never a question. [Production designer] Jack Fisk very much wanted to represent the Osage as it really was and not make a Hollywood version.’

There’s little that is Hollywood, in a crass, commercialised sense, about Killers of the Flower Moon. Weighing in at three hour and 26 minutes, it’s a measured, textured drama that digs up uncomfortable truths. And while Grann’s book focuses more on the machinations of J. Edgar Hoover’s fledgling Federal Bureau of Investigation that looks into the spate of killings, Scorsese and screenwriter Eric Roth relegate that commercial hook to instead focus on Ernest and Mollie’s poisonous marriage. It was a decision that saw DiCaprio, who was originally down to play FBI agent Tom White, swap roles, and Apple Original Films announce they would fund Scorsese’s $200m epic. Original backers Paramount stayed onboard as a global theatrical distribution partner.

‘Marty and Leo asked, “What’s the heart of this story?” and they both felt like it was Ernest and Mollie,’ explains Bower. ‘And that also allowed the richness of the Osage culture to be integrated and interwoven into the story in a way that maybe you couldn’t have so done if Leo was [playing] Tom White.’

But can such a hefty film pack the cinemas with punters? Naturally, both Bower and Lupi are encouraged by Christopher Nolan’s recent success with a similarly complex, dark-hearted movie boasting a mighty running time – ‘Oppenheimer, another historical epic, has made us very optimistic,’ nods Lupi – and it should be noted that Killers contains enticing echoes of Scorsese’s beloved mobster pictures, with its industrialised violence, riches, loyalty and betrayal. Plus, any cinemagoer worth their salted popcorn must surely be thrilled by the thought of Scorsese’s two leading men uniting under his auspicious gaze for the first time.

‘Marty and Leoasked, “What’s the heart of this story?” and they both felt it was Ernest and Mollie’

MARIANNE BOWER

‘It was very relaxed between Marty and Leo and Bob,’ smiles Lupi. ‘Bob and Leo would turn up incredibly prepared. The sets are silent. No phones. It was, “You’ve come to work,” and it was all about the actors, and Marty, and the camera. It was special. How many times do you get to work with Bob De Niro and Leo?’ Bower agrees but is keen to make room for Lily Gladstone in the spotlight. ‘You have these incredible powerhouse people,’ she starts. ‘But while you may not know before who Lily Gladstone is, boy, when she does these scenes, you’re like, “Wow, this is amazing.”’

Gladstone delivers the standout performance in a film that’s full of them, and is rightly being talked up for an Oscar. So might people now finally start recognising the amazing women in Scorsese’s films, instead of just focusing on the men? There’s Sharon Stone’s Ginger McKenna in Casino, Michelle Pfeiffer’s Ellen Olenska and Winona Ryder’s May Welland in The Age of Innocence, Lorraine Bracco’s Karen Hill in Goodfellas… It goes all the way back to Ellen Burstyn’s Alice Hyatt in 1974’s Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. ‘You know, the female characters are so complex and interesting, and have a whole world themselves in the films,’ says Bower. ‘Lily is just extraordinary. I would certainly hope that her work in this film reminds people that Marty makes very rich, dimensional female characters.’

KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON OPENS IN CINEMAS ON 20 OCTOBER AND STREAMS ON APPLE TV+ AT A LATER DATE