It appears as though Martin Scorsese has rediscovered his magic touch as Killers of the Flower Moon starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, and Lily Gladstone receives a lengthy nine-minute standing ovation after its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival.
“It’s taken its time to come around, but Apple did so great by us, shooting out there… there was lots of grass — I’m a New Yorker. We also lived in that world with the Osage, we really did, and we really miss it,” said the legendary director.
Scorsese went on to thank the crowd in attendance for the thunderous reception: “I don’t think I’ve ever experienced like this.”
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The three-and-a-half hour Western crime drama based on the bestselling non-fiction book by journalist David Grann – as well as the real-life historical events said book explores – has been praised left, right, and centre with some critics already detecting the scent of Oscar gold. Particularly for Gladstone’s performance as Osage woman Mollie Kyle.
Here’s what has been said so far:
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In the 1920s, Native Americans from the Osage tribe became some of the richest people in the world after large oil deposits were discovered beneath their reservation. Not long after, as these things tend to play out, several of them were murdered one by one. Officially, the body count reached at least 20. But estimates place the actual figure somewhere in the hundreds.
Told through the “improbable romance” of Ernest Burkhart (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Mollie Kyle (Lily Gladstone), Killers of the Flower Moon explores what has since been acknowledged as “one of the highest-profile serial killings” ever witnessed by America during the 20th century; as well as when “real love crosses paths with unspeakable betrayal.”
It also explores the ensuing FBI investigation helmed by future agency director J. Edgar Hoover and former Texas Ranger Tom White (Jesse Plemons) – the latter role originally designated to DiCaprio before he requested a change in script.
Martin Scorsese himself has adapted the screenplay alongside veteran Hollywood scribe Eric Roth (Forrest Gump, Munich, A Star Is Born, Dune) in addition to taking a seat in the director’s chair; with the cinematography accomplished by Rodrigo Prieto (Brokeback Mountain, The Wolf of Wall Street, Silence, The Irishman).
Killers of the Flower Moon has set a theatrical release date for October 19th, 2023 and will eventually make its way to Apple TV+ globally – check out the trailer above.
