Just back in from Killers of the Flower Moon.
Sad to report that what could have been a taut and thrilling portrait of the evils that men do for money - particularly when it comes to acquiring the money that belongs to people they look down on, is instead a ponderous meditation on wickedness.
On the upside, Di Caprio is convincing as the idiotic foil, caught between the schemes of his uncle and a genuine affection for Mollie his Osage wife, and De Niro is always watchable even when he verges on pantomime as the conniving villain, while Lily Gladstone shines as Mollie .
The script and even worse, the edit is where my issues lie. It is simply far too long and the large parts of the film proceed at a snails pace.
Rather like the portrayal of the Tulsa race riots at the start of the Watchmen TV series, it does shed light on an ugly slice of 20th century American history, but for a film that purports to champion the cause of the Osage people (and perhaps remind Us citizens of the plight of first nation Americans in general) it provides them with no agency at all. Despite their new found riches they are presented as largely passive, often easily duped and in need of saving by the good ol' FBI (though only after receipt of a fat old fee).
Sad to report that what could have been a taut and thrilling portrait of the evils that men do for money - particularly when it comes to acquiring the money that belongs to people they look down on, is instead a ponderous meditation on wickedness.
On the upside, Di Caprio is convincing as the idiotic foil, caught between the schemes of his uncle and a genuine affection for Mollie his Osage wife, and De Niro is always watchable even when he verges on pantomime as the conniving villain, while Lily Gladstone shines as Mollie .
The script and even worse, the edit is where my issues lie. It is simply far too long and the large parts of the film proceed at a snails pace.
Rather like the portrayal of the Tulsa race riots at the start of the Watchmen TV series, it does shed light on an ugly slice of 20th century American history, but for a film that purports to champion the cause of the Osage people (and perhaps remind Us citizens of the plight of first nation Americans in general) it provides them with no agency at all. Despite their new found riches they are presented as largely passive, often easily duped and in need of saving by the good ol' FBI (though only after receipt of a fat old fee).