“Killers of the Flower Moon,” directed by Martin Scorsese, is a thrilling film adaptation of one of David Grann’s best-selling books on one of America’s darkest and most forgotten chapters. Set in the 1920s, this mystery thriller focuses on the Osage Nation of Oklahoma, whose members were destined to become victims in a string of murders after oil was found on their lands. This is dark time that reveals not only the depths of greed and brutality from those who sought to exploit the Osage but also the systemic racism and betrayal they endured at the hands of those they placed their trust in.
The film is set amongst the Osage tribe, who, as a result of their forced relocation in Oklahoma, were discovered to be wealthy due to the oil deposits that lay beneath their lands. But this wealth also set off a wave of chilling crime that became a quest by white settlers to improve their lives by dreaming up ever more brutal ways of leaving the Osage nation and securing their inheritances. The Osage killings represent a powerful intersection of wealth, power, and racial disenfranchisement where the most straightforward components of communal trust were splintered into smithereens.
Such conflicting dynamics are brought together with the adaptation of this tragedy by Scorsese, and he addresses both the victims’ issues as well as the perpetrators’. The film features Leonardo DiCaprio as Ernest Burkhart, nephew to a local cattleman, William Hale, portrayed by Robert De Niro. He uses and exploits the Osage people to show the extent to which humanity goes for money and power. The film’s complexity in terms of characters’ morality adds profundity to it, forcing the audience to face certain ugly realities of human nature.
There is further excitement concerning the historical context with the addition of the newly formed FBI, whose leader Tom White was played by Jesse Plemons. The agency had marked the investigation one of its milestones in early operation when it shed light into the federal jurisdiction over crimes committed against Native Americans. Well, it weaves an intricate plot of personal stories of loss, resilience, and the quest for justice for many. Thus, it remains not only a crime thriller but also a poignant commentary on America’s treatment of Indigenous peoples.
“Killers of the Flower Moon” is also a reminder to the nation of some of its darkest chapters that form part of its history and inform its present. Bringing this story, Scorsese helps raise questions not only about justice but also memory and the legacy of colonialism in America. The film is expected to bring forth conversations about history, identity, and living struggles by the Native communities in the United States of America.
