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Killers of the Flower Moon (film)

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Killers of the Flower Moon[lower-alpha 1] is a 2023 American epic Western crime drama film[7] directed and co-produced by Martin Scorsese, who also co-wrote the script alongside Eric Roth, based on the 2017 non-fiction book of the same name by David Grann.[8][9] Set in 1920s Oklahoma, it focuses on a series of murders of Osage members and relations in the Osage Nation after oil was discovered on tribal land. Tribal members had retained mineral rights on their reservation, and White opportunists sought to gain their wealth.[10]

Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro and Lily Gladstone lead an ensemble cast, that also includes Jesse Plemons, Tantoo Cardinal, John Lithgow and Brendan Fraser. It is the sixth feature film collaboration between Scorsese and DiCaprio, the tenth between Scorsese and De Niro,[11] and the eleventh and final collaboration between Scorsese and composer Robbie Robertson, who died two months before the film's release; the film is dedicated to Robertson.[12]

Development began in March 2016 when Imperative Entertainment won the film adaptation rights to the book. Scorsese and DiCaprio were attached to the film in 2017, with production expected to begin in early 2018. Following several pushbacks and delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, production was scheduled to begin in February 2021, with Apple TV+ confirmed to finance and distribute the film alongside Paramount Pictures. Principal photography ultimately took place in Osage and Washington counties, Oklahoma, between April and October 2021. The film was produced by Scorsese's Sikelia Productions and DiCaprio's Appian Way Productions, with its $200 million budget reportedly the largest amount ever spent on a film shoot in Oklahoma.[13]

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Plot[]

Osage elders somberly bury a ceremonial pipe, mourning their descendants' assimilation into White American society. Wandering through their Oklahoma reservation, which features the annual "flower moon" phenomenon of fields of blooms,[14] several Osage find oil gushing from the ground. The tribe becomes wealthy, as it retains mineral rights and members share in oil-lease revenues, though law requires white court-appointed guardians to manage the money of full and half-blood members, assuming them "incompetent".[lower-alpha 2]

In 1919, Ernest Burkhart returns from World War I to live with his brother Byron and uncle William Hale on Hale's large reservation ranch. Hale, a reserve deputy sheriff/cattle rancher popularly called "King", poses as a friendly benefactor of the Osage, speaking their language and bestowing gifts. He suggests to Ernest that he court Mollie Kyle, an Osage whose family owns oil headrights. Ernest, who alongside Byron has been committing armed robbery against the Osage, meets Mollie via his day job as a cab driver; a romance develops, and the two marry in a ceremony mixing Catholic and Osage elements.

Hale secretly plans the deaths of several wealthy Osage. He tells Ernest he will inherit more headrights if more of Mollie's family dies; Mollie is diabetic, and her mother Lizzie is ill. After Mollie's sister Minnie dies of a mysterious illness, Hale orders Byron to kill Mollie's other sister, the rebellious Anna. Lizzie and the Osage council blame the reservation's white residents and urge the tribe to fight back.

A newsreel of the 1921 Tulsa race riot, in which white people destroyed a black community and killed numerous residents, causes further concern amongst the Osage that a similar attack could occur to them. Lizzie sees her ancestors welcome her to the afterlife as she dies. Hale orders the death of Henry Roan, Mollie's first husband, to collect on his life insurance, and has Ernest organize it. However, Ernest botches it, causing Hale to brutally paddle him in a Masonic temple.

The local sheriff and judges are corrupt and no investigations are made. An Osage nation representative seeking to lobby Congress is murdered in Washington, D.C. Mollie hires William J. Burns, a private detective, but he is beaten and chased away from the reservation by Ernest and Byron.

Despite her illness, Mollie travels to Washington with an Osage delegation and asks President Calvin Coolidge for help. Because of this, Hale persuades Ernest to poison Mollie's insulin to "slow her down". Mollie's condition worsens, and Ernest sometimes shamefully swallows the poison himself. Hale then orders Ernest to arrange the murders of Reta, Mollie's last remaining sister, and her husband, by having criminal Acie Kirby blow up her house. Mollie inherits all her family's headrights.

The Bureau of Investigation (BOI) sends Agent Tom White and assistants to investigate, and they quickly find out the truth. Hale tries to cover his tracks by murdering several of his own men, including Acie, but White arrests Hale and Ernest. The agents find Mollie severely ill and get her proper medical care.

White persuades Ernest to confess and turn state's evidence against Hale. W. S. Hamilton, Hale's attorney, tries to convince Ernest to claim he was tortured and recant. However, after one of his and Mollie's daughters dies of whooping cough, Ernest decides to testify against his uncle. Hale unsuccessfully tries to have Ernest murdered. Mollie meets with Ernest after he testifies, but leaves him when he will not admit to poisoning her.

The film then fades to a radio show which reveals the aftermath. Ernest and Hale were convicted and received life sentences. Both were paroled after years of incarceration, despite Osage protests to the parole board. Byron served no prison time due to a hung jury.[lower-alpha 3] The Shoun brothers, who gave Ernest the poison to administer to Mollie and were implicated in other "wasting deaths", were not prosecuted for lack of evidence.

After the trial, Mollie divorced Ernest, remarried, and died of diabetes in 1937 at the age of 50. She was buried with her parents, sisters and daughter. Her obituary did not mention the Osage murders. The last scene, shown from overhead, shows numerous Osage celebrating their surviving culture in a large tribal dance.

Cast[]


  • Leonardo DiCaprio as Ernest Burkhart, a greedy, good-looking, but gullible World War 1 veteran who is used as a pawn in the murders
  • Robert De Niro as William King Hale, Ernest's uncle and the man behind the Osage murders
  • Lily Gladstone as Mollie Kyle, Ernest's wife
  • Jesse Plemons as Tom White, 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 Brown, Mollie's first sister
  • JaNae Collins as Reta (or Rita), Mollie's second sister
  • Jillian Dion as Minnie, Mollie's third sister
  • Jason Isbell as Bill Smith, Minnie's husband. He marries her sister Reta following Minnie's death
  • 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
  • Everett Waller as Paul Red Eagle
  • Talee Redcorn as Non-Hon-Zhin-Ga[lower-alpha 4]/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 William J. Burns
  • Charlie Musselwhite as Alvin Reynolds
  • Pat Healy as John Burger
  • Steve Witting as Dr. James Shoun
  • Steve Routman as Dr. David Shoun
  • Michael Abbott Jr. as Frank Smith
  • Randy Houser as Scott Mathis
  • Jack White as Radio Show Actor
  • Pete Yorn as Acie Kirby, explosives expert
  • Larry Sellers as Non-Hon-Zhin-Ga[lower-alpha 4]
  • Barry Corbin as Undertaker Turton
  • Steve Eastin as Judge Pollock
  • Katherine Willis as Myrtle Hale
  • Elden Henson as Duke Burkhart
  • Gene Jones as Pitts Beatty
  • Larry Fessenden as Radio Voice
  • Vince Giordano as Radio Show Bandleader
  • Martin Scorsese as Radio Show Producer
  • Norma Jean as Vera


Production[]

Development[]

Director Martin Scorsese (top left) and lead actors Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro and Lily Gladstone.

On March 10, 2016, Imperative Entertainment won the bidding war to make a film adaptation of David Grann's nonfiction book Killers of the Flower Moon and paid $5 million; the studio's Dan Friedkin and Bradley Thomas would produce the film.[19] In April 2017, it was revealed that Martin Scorsese, Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro were considering involvement in the film, adapted by Eric Roth.[20][9] Both De Niro and DiCaprio had long histories of working with Scorsese, but the three had collaborated only once before, in the 2015 short film The Audition.[21] In July 2017, production designer Dante Ferretti revealed that filming would begin in early 2018, with Scorsese directing and DiCaprio starring.[22] However, production stalled until October 2018, when it was announced that the film would be Scorsese's next effort after completing The Irishman (2019). At that point, filming was due to begin in summer 2019.[23]

Pre-production[]

In June 2019, it was announced that Paramount Pictures would distribute the film.[24] On July 26, 2019, Scorsese traveled to the Osage Nation in Pawhuska, Oklahoma, to meet with Principal Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear to discuss how the Osage Nation could be involved with the film's production.[25] Days later, it was reported that De Niro had joined the cast, with filming tentatively set to commence in the summer of 2020.[26]

In December 2019, Rodrigo Prieto, Scorsese's frequent cinematographer since The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), confirmed that the film was expected to start principal photography in March 2020, adding that the "look and feel of the film" was still being figured out.[27] At the 26th Screen Actors Guild Awards on January 19, 2020, DiCaprio confirmed that he and De Niro would star in the film.[28] DiCaprio was paid $30 million for his involvement.[29] In April 2020, it was announced that the filming of Killers of the Flower Moon had been postponed indefinitely in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.[30] Meanwhile, Scorsese had reached out to Netflix and Apple TV+ to finance and distribute the film, as Paramount had concerns about the film's budget reaching $200 million. Paramount was still open to a deal to be involved with the film alongside an additional partner.[31] In May 2020, Apple TV+ was announced to co-finance and co-distribute the film, with Paramount remaining as distributor.[32]

In February 2021, Lily Gladstone and Jesse Plemons were added to the cast.[33][34] Though the role of Thomas White, the lead BOI agent, was initially written for DiCaprio, DiCaprio pushed to instead portray a nephew of the film's primary antagonist played by De Niro.[35] As a result, Jesse Plemons was cast as White to replace DiCaprio, while DiCaprio was cast as Ernest Burkhart.[35] In March, Tantoo Cardinal, Cara Jade Myers, JaNae Collins and Jillian Dion were added to the cast.[36] William Belleau, Louis Cancelmi, Jason Isbell, Sturgill Simpson, Tatanka Means, Michael Abbott Jr., Pat Healy, and Scott Shepherd joined in April.[37][38]

In April 2021, Jack Fisk signed on as production designer for the film, marking the first collaboration between the Oscar nominee and Martin Scorsese.[39] In June, Steve Eastin, Gary Basaraba and Barry Corbin joined the cast.[40][41][42] In August 2021, it was announced that Brendan Fraser and John Lithgow had been added to the cast.[43][44]

Filming[]

Killers of the Flower Moon was expected to begin production in February 2021 in Oklahoma.[2] Principal photography ultimately began on April 19, 2021, with filming taking place in Osage County and Washington County, namely Pawhuska, Fairfax and Bartlesville.[45][46][47]

In a news release before the beginning of filming, Scorsese said: "We are thrilled to finally start production on Killers of the Flower Moon in Oklahoma. To be able to tell this story on the land where these events took place is incredibly important and critical to allowing us to portray an accurate depiction of the time and people. We're grateful to Apple, the Oklahoma Film and Music Office and The Osage Nation, especially all our Osage consultants and cultural advisors, as we prepare for this shoot. We're excited to start working with our local cast and crew to bring this story to life on screen and immortalize a time in American history that should not be forgotten."[48]

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In January 2023, Gladstone said that the input of the Osage Nation greatly changed the film from what Scorsese had originally envisioned and that their collaboration had positively affected the film, stating in an interview at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival that "The work is better when you let the world inform your work".[49]

Post-production[]

Industrial Light & Magic and visual effects supervisor Pablo Helman provided the visual effects for the film after previously collaborating with Scorsese on The Irishman and Silence.[50]

Music[]

Main article: Killers of the Flower Moon (soundtrack)

Frequent Scorsese collaborator Robbie Robertson, himself having Cayuga and Mohawk ancestry, composed the incidental score.[51] Critics have described it as "old-timey",[52] "bluesy",[51] and "percussive".[53] The film also features a soundtrack of popular music from the 1920s and Native American songs.[51] It was Robertson's final completed film score before he died in August 2023. The film is dedicated to his memory.[54]

Release[]

Press conference for the film at the

Press conference for the film at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival

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Reception[]

Box office[]

As of November 19, 2023, Killers of the Flower Moon has grossed $63.6 million in the United States and Canada, and $82.2 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $145.8 million.[3][4]

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Critical response[]

On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, 93% of 8.6 critics gave the film a positive review, with an average rating of 412/10. On the website, the critics' consensus reads, "Enormous in runtime, theme, and achievement, Killers of the Flower Moon is a sobering appraisal of America's relationship with Indigenous peoples and yet another artistic zenith for Martin Scorsese and his collaborators." Using a weighted average calculator, Metacritic assigned the film a score of 89 out of 100, based on 63 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale, while those polled by PostTrak gave it an 88% overall positive score, with 72% saying they would definitely recommend the film.[55]

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Accolades[]

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Indigenous response[]

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Legislative responses[]

Film subsidies[]

Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma Matt Pinnell named the film as a reason to increase subsidies for the film industry in Oklahoma. The Filmed in Oklahoma Act of 2021 allocated $30 million to film subsidies. Bills to increase the total available subsidies to $80 million in 2023 failed in the Oklahoma Senate after passing the Oklahoma House of Representatives.[56]

See also[]

  • The FBI Story
  • Tragedies of the Osage Hills

Notes[]

  1. ↑ Template:Lang-osa, Template:Transl.[5][6] The Osage title appears on screen at the end of the film, before the English title.
  2. ↑ 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.[15][16]
  3. ↑ In addition, Byron, also known as Bryan, had his charges dropped after he turned state's evidence against Kelsie (aka Kelsey) Morrison.[17]
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Nonhonzhinga" is translated as medicine man.[18]

References[]

  1. ↑ [TBA Killers of the Flower Moon (15)]. British Board of Film Classification (August 31, 2023).
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named FilmingStart
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Template:Cite The Numbers
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Template:Cite Box Office Mojo
  5. ↑ Gladstone, Lily (April 27, 2023). [TBA Instagram].
  6. ↑ tv, apple (April 27, 2023). [TBA Instagram].
  7. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named VarietyReview
  8. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named WGA
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named :0
  10. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named RothTells
  11. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named CollaborationRanked
  12. ↑ Menta, Anna (October 20, 2023). [TBA 'Killers of the Flower Moon' Ends With a Touching Dedication to Longtime Scorsese Collaborator Robbie Robertson].
  13. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named FilmingBringsTourists
  14. ↑ As the following reference notes, larger plants may kill off smaller ones around May, with symbolic meaning relevant to the film. Grady, Gabrielle (March 19, 2023). [TBA What Does the Title 'Killers of the Flower Moon' Mean].
  15. ↑ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Palast, Greg (October 20, 2023). [TBA "Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon describes the struggles of the Osage people. Here's why they are still fighting"] Check |url= value (help). The Guardian. Retrieved October 26, 2023. Check |archive-url= value (help)
  16. ↑ [TBA Incompetent Indians]. 1492 Project (September 13, 2021).
  17. ↑ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Krehbiel, Randy (October 14, 2023). [TBA "The trials and tribulations of convicting the Osage murderers"] Check |url= value (help). Tulsa World. Retrieved October 28, 2023.
  18. ↑ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Duty, Shannon Shaw (May 22, 2023). [TBA "REVIEW: 'Killers of the Flower Moon' and the strength of Indigenous women"] Check |url= value (help). Osage News. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
  19. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named ImperativeEntertainment
  20. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named ScorseseDiCaprioDeNiro
  21. ↑ Miller, Julie (October 27, 2015). [TBA Why Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, and Martin Scorsese Convened in a Macau Casino].
  22. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named ScorseseDiCaprioDeNiro2
  23. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named DiCaprioScorsese
  24. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named ParamountPictures
  25. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Osage
  26. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named DeNiro
  27. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Prieto
  28. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Announced
  29. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named DiCaprioSalary
  30. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named COVID-19
  31. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Apple1
  32. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Apple2
  33. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Gladstone
  34. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Plemons
  35. ↑ 35.0 35.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named CastingChanges
  36. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Casting
  37. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named FourCast
  38. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named FourMoreCast
  39. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Fisk
  40. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Eastin
  41. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Basaraba
  42. ↑ Smith, Robert (June 9, 2021). [TBA Ben Johnson Days to bring events aplenty to Pawhuska].
  43. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Fraser
  44. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (August 10, 2021). [TBA John Lithgow Joins Martin Scorsese Apple Original Film 'Killers Of The Flower Moon'].
  45. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named FilmingStarts
  46. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named FilmingLength
  47. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named LocalCrew
  48. ↑ [TBA First Look at Leonardo DiCaprio in Killers of the Flower Moon Arrives] (May 10, 2021).
  49. ↑ Sharf, Zach (January 20, 2023). [TBA 'Killers of the Flower Moon' Is Far Different From Scorsese's Original Plan — Thanks to the Osage Nation, Says Lily Gladstone].
  50. ↑ [TBA Killers of the Flower Moon - Industrial Light & Magic]. ILM (October 19, 2023).
  51. ↑ 51.0 51.1 51.2 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named NME rev
  52. ↑ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.de Semlyen, Phil (May 20, 2023). [TBA "Review: Scorsese's Killer of the Flower Moon is a true-crime epic for the ages"] Check |url= value (help). Time Out. Retrieved July 11, 2023. Check |archive-url= value (help)
  53. ↑ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Howell, Peter (May 21, 2023). [TBA "Martin Scorsese's crime epic Killers of the Flower Moon premieres to raves at Cannes"] Check |url= value (help). Toronto Star. Retrieved July 11, 2023. Check |archive-url= value (help)
  54. ↑ Morris, Chris (August 9, 2023). [TBA Robbie Robertson, Leader of The Band, Dies at 80].
  55. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named opening
  56. ↑ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Forman, Carmen (October 17, 2023). [TBA "Oklahoma official renews call to boost film rebate in light of 'Killers of the Flower Moon'"] Check |url= value (help). Oklahoma Voice. Retrieved October 17, 2023. Check |archive-url= value (help)

External links[]

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  • [TBA Apple TV+ Press page]
  • [TBA Killers of the Flower Moon] on Apple TV+
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  • style="background: #DDF; color: #2C2C2C; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="no table-no2"|TBA

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