KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON

Martin Scorsese's previous film 'The Irishman' was both very long and quite dull.  So for a while I resisted seeing this 206-minute epic, especially since I found the trailer rather offputting. 

Eventually though the favourable critical response overcame my objections, and I am glad to be able to report that this is a pretty impressive effort from the veteran director (I'm sure that's a relief to him.)

It's an adaptation of the non-fiction book of the same title which recounts how in 1920s Oklahoma there were a series of murders of Osage Native Americans after oil was discovered on their tribal land.

The main villain of the piece is a local rancher and bigwig, King Hale, here played by Robert De Niro.  We sense straight away that he might be a bad 'un despite his outwardly benevolent attitude to the Osage, and that he might use his rather malleable and somewhat simpleminded nephew Ernest (played by Leonardo Dicaprio) to further his schemes.

One of these schemes is that Ernest should marry an Osage woman as a way of acquiring her wealth.  A possible complication is that Ernest may actually love the woman he does choose to marry, Molly, played by Molly Gladstone, although this doesn't stop him trying to poison her to death, at his uncle's behest. 

Both Dicaprio and Gladstone give wonderful performances, and the relationship between Ernest and Molly provides the film with some much needed emotional heft.  I found their final scene together heart-breaking and devastating.

Before we get to that scene we have a lot of ground to cover, at quite a leisurely pace.  But I was very happy to spend time in 1920s Oklahoma, listening to a wonderful bluesy soundtrack appropriate to the era.  I can find some Scorsese films, such as 'Goodfellas' and 'Casino' rather exhausting, but this was a gentle stroll, punctuated with odd moments of violence.

To round things off nicely, the film concludes with a novel and entertaining way of telling us what went on to happen to the main characters.

All in all, a pleasure.

RATING: ✓✓ Catch It If You Can