In the days following his 80th birthday, Akira Kurosawa was awarded an honorary Oscar at the 62nd Academy Awards. Despite an illustrious 30-film career spanning more than half-a-century, he told the audience, “I really don’t feel that I have yet grasped the essence of cinema”. Despite all he had achieved, he saw himself as undeserving of the award.
Thirty-three years later, Martin Scorsese – now also 80 years old – quotes Kurosawa in conversation with Deadline, reflecting on his own mortality: “the whole world has opened up to me, but it’s too late”. To Scorsese, age has only honed his skills and widened his perspective. His latest film, Killers of the Flower Moon, is testament to this.
The film follows the Osage community of Oklahoma who, after striking liquid gold in the form of oil, find themselves victimised by a group of white men who seek to murder and manipulate their way into the newfound fortune. Front and centre of this operation is Ernest Burkhart (Leonardo DiCaprio), the nephew of the capitalist tycoon, William “King” Hale (Robert De Niro), who orchestrates the atrocities that take place. The decision to centre on Ernest ties into the wider interest of Scorsese’s filmography: the middlemen of organised crime. Be it Ray Liotta’s Henry Hill in Goodfellas, Harvey Keitel’s Charlie in Mean Streets, or De Niro’s Frank Sheeran in The Irishman, Scorsese spends far less time on those with absolute power than those who can wield it without ever truly attaining it. Unfortunately for Ernest, his role in the operation includes facilitating the murder of the family of his wife, Mollie (Lily Gladstone). The events, based on a harrowing true story, eventually lead to the involvement of a newly formed FBI.
A film like this necessitates strong central performances and DiCaprio, De Niro, and Gladstone do not disappoint. DiCaprio’s face feels almost unrecognisable, contorted into the constant frown of a man hardened by his own wicked deeds. In recent years, I have struggled to differentiate DiCaprio’s persona from the characters he has played. This is one of the few occasions where I haven’t looked at the screen every couple of minutes and thought, “hey, that’s Leonardo DiCaprio”, which, for an individual of his status, is about the loftiest compliment I could pay. De Niro is truly menacing as King Hale, not just in the way he strikes fear into Ernest, but in the way he comforts the grieving families of the people he has killed. This is the first feature length collaboration between Scorsese and his two muses, and yet, it is Lily Gladstone who is the standout performer. To use a cliché, you can’t take your eyes off of her. The sorrow and kindness with which she imbues her character place her as the undoubted frontrunner for best-supporting actress at next year’s Oscars.
Central performances aside, what is truly interesting about watching late-Scorsese is seeing his technical mastery of the artform. Young Scorsese loved to direct his films; the camera was an active participant in the storytelling. Now, decades after the likes of After Hours or Raging Bull, we see the same techniques used (dolly zooms, slow motion, long tracking shots etc), but they are combined with an understanding of stillness. When the film’s fourth act (yes, films can exist outwith the three-act structure!) unfolds, he takes a step back and lets the story tell itself.
Alongside Scorsese, praise must be heaped upon Thelma Schoonmaker, his long-term editor. At a staggering 206 minutes, the pacing of this film is essential. The way in which the scenes are cut neither bores you nor exhausts you before ramping up in time for the film’s conclusion. I have heard it said that “no good movie is too long”, and Killers of the Flower Moon is proof of this. The film earns every second of its runtime (even if a short interval for a bathroom break would have been appreciated).
All in all, Scorsese’s most recent effort is an astounding feat that, in my opinion, only he could have achieved. Putting his own feelings to one side, it is clear that if Martin Scorsese doesn’t understand “the essence of cinema”, then no-one does. I hope he keeps making films for years to come.
“Killers of the Flower Moon Cannes Film Festival” by Canal22 is licensed under CC BY 3.0.