Review | Martin Scorsese's 'Killers of the Flower Moon' is an immersive retelling of cold-blooded Osage Indian murders

Martin Scorsese's latest work 'Killers of the Flower Moon' brings to focus an important event that took place in the United States of America in the turn of the 20^th century. Though there have been some documents of the Osage Indian murders, Scorcese's film is probably the first visual rendition of the gruesome tale based on David Grann's book of the same name. The movie, just like most of Scorsese's works is powerful, visually appealing and straightforward, taking you to a time and place that existed over a century ago, without beating around the bush.

What is appealing is how Scorsese created an immersive world from the past, using characters that have life and sufficient depth, in such a way that the movie does not get tiring even though it is three hours and 26 minutes long. The intrigue, the occasional surprises that Scorcese springs on the audience and the detailing of each situation keep you glued till the very end.

Though there have been some criticism of Scorsese's narrative focus in 'Killers of the Flower Moon', the movie ensures that the history of the Osage Indian murders is not forgotten for a very long time. In fact, it depicts how the Osage Indians were the richest people per capita who lived in the 20^th century, showing live footage of how these men and women had a bevy of servants on their beck and call and how they rode on chauffeur-driven cars.
The oil made them rich, but they were not very powerful and had many White enemies, who were unhappy with their wealth. The White people opted to marry into the tribe to lay hold of the Osage wealth. The more evil ones murdered the Osage folks. 'Killers of the Flower Moon' revolves around such devious men and how the murders in the community unfolded. Ernest Buckhart played by Leonardo Di Caprio is one such man who opts for a full-breed Osage Indian wife Mollie (Lily Gladstone). Mollie lives with her ailing mother and has three other sisters, Anna, Minnie and Greta, who all die eventually.

Ernest Buckhart's every move is planned by his cunning uncle William Hale (Robert De Niro), leaving an impression that Ernest deserves some sympathy, unlike his evil uncle William. 'Killers of the Flower Moon' is not a classic who-dunnit movie since the intention of the murders and the people involved are pretty clear as the story progresses. What makes it engrossing is how the filmmakers, including co-writer Eric Roth blend different genres -- mystery, romance and violence – skillfully in the movie. The investigation into the deaths by the Federal Bureau of Investigation may not have been explored largely, which had been the crux of Grann's book – but nevertheless, the investigation scenes are quite satisfactory.

The performances of all the actors were praiseworthy, especially that of Lily Gladstone, who can easily be described as the life of the film. Martin, Leonardo and De Niro, have always been a team, with both the actors working in films with the legendary filmmaker in the past, and in this movie too, their talents have been put to good use. The stunning visuals and the background score have also added life to this gripping tale.