Killers of the Flower Moon Movie Review

I’ll try and write this review without telling you anything that will ruin it for you. I’ll start by saying this is an epic, one you can’t miss. Curious about what was meant by “Flower Moon,” I looked it up. The Farmer’s Almanac began to name the full moons in the 1930s. The name given by American tribes to the full moon in May was the “Flower Moon.” The flowers blooming across North America, signaled the abundance and the coming of Spring after a cold, hard winter. This is important in this story, but I can’t tell you why.​

American journalist David Grann wrote a book called “Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI” in 2017. It seems the author’s intention was to tell his readers that at the end of the 19^th century, the Osage Nation was living atop an oil fortune. Soon, they were considered the richest people in the world. “Black Gold. Texas Tea.” You know that expression, right? The Osage people enjoyed the fact that white people started giving them money, which they spent on gems, automobiles, maids and other luxuries wealthy people enjoyed. Sadly, oil companies aren’t too happy about being left out and didn’t exactly consider Natives… well, people.

Natives were already being taken off their land and their children taken away and being taught English, attempting to completely end their native tongue. So, with the natives sitting on more oil than anywhere, it caused murders among greedy people who wanted this supreme product.

In the film, once it was discovered that a native family had oil, they were befriended by white people in the area, especially by William Hale (Robert De Niro), who liked to be referred to as “King.” He was loved by all. He was the type of man who’d help everyone, no matter the color of their skin. He gets involved in guiding most of the landowners who have the most oil worming his way into their lives. He offers aid in how to deal with insurance and banking. Because of racism, they need what he’s honored to give them. His nephew Earnest (DiCaprio), who was a soldier in the First World War, returns, deciding to make his home of Fairfax, Oklahoma, the place to settle. His uncle Hale takes him in. He gives him advice about everything, so Earnest will be helpful to Hale.

Before long, he’s working as a cab driver for the wealthy Osage people. You learn early that he likes beautiful women, the heavy and soft ones the most. Luckily for him, he ends up driving Mollie (Lily Gladstone). Rather quickly, they’re both sweet on one another. She has deep confidence and faith in her Osage beliefs. She’s happy when that doesn’t bother her blue-eyed friend. She tells her sisters, for whom she’s close and loves, that she’s infatuated with Earnest and knows he feels the same way. They’re so in love they marry while still getting to know one another.

There’s a lot I’d like to tell you about. One thing is that murders happen in large numbers, several happening in poor Mollie’s family. As it’s said in the film, the buzzards are circling their land and their assets, trying to take everything they have, but the Osage people aren’t leaving their land. Finally, Mollie goes to the American government, asking them to get involved. Eventually, they do, but is it too late? I can’t say anything more except that you must see this movie. I believe it’s the best of the year. Nothing will be able to beat this story and the way that Martin Scorsese tells it. In these days, I’m proud of him for making the film and it deserves everything it will receive.

Martin Scorsese reads Mollie’s obituary at the end.

Try not to miss it.