The Osage Indian murders were a series of murders of Osage Native Americans in Osage County, Oklahoma during the decade 1910–30. American journalist David Grann investigated the case for his 2017 book, Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI. This book is the basis for the current film. In 1897, oil was discovered on the Osage Indian Reservation in Oklahoma. As part of the process of preparing Oklahoma for statehood, the federal government allotted 657 acres of land to each Osage on the tribal rolls in 1907. The film depicts the greed of white Americans in all its different shades. White citizens are angry at the property being distributed to the natives. They resort to the strategy of marrying Native American women and then killing them, thus gaining rights over the land deeds. Some openly resort to murder, while others let poison do the dirty work. The brutal murder of Anna Brown in 1921 brought the newly formed Federal Bureau of Investigation into the fray. The resulting investigation resulted in the arrest of mastermind William King Hale and his nephew, Ernest Burkhart in 1926. Burkhart later became a state witness and gave evidence against his uncle. Ernest had married Molly Kylie, a wealthy country woman, at his uncle’s insistence. After marriage, her relatives started dying under mysterious circumstances. The first to go was Minnie Smith, who died of possible poisoning, another sister, Rita Smith, and her husband were killed by the explosion, while Mollie herself was being poisoned through insulin injections. The title is a metaphor for small flowers dying when taller plants take their place. This usually occurs during May, which is when Anna Brown was murdered.
The film stars Robert De Niro as William King Hale, while Leonardo DiCaprio plays his nephew Ernest Burkhart. Lily Gladstone, who has Native American blood, plays Molly Burkhardt. Ernest is presented as a simple-minded former soldier who has returned from World War I and is in need of a business. His brother, Byron (Scott Shepherd), was already working with his uncle. These three, over the years, conspired to kill as many Native Americans as possible through professional hunters and hitmen, ensuring that their direct involvement was kept to a minimum. When the investigation took place, Hale was successful in interrogating several key witnesses and participants. However, it was the testimony of his nephew that ultimately condemned him.
The film depicts the tragedy in all its glory, and the audience is spared nothing of the horror. It is a three and a half hour film, which flows at its own pace. On one level, whites are shown as God-fearing, church-going men and women who are very happy to rub shoulders with their wealthy, Native American neighbors. But as time passes, we see his true face. It is a war of one community against another, a mini-genocide, in which the entire white population is guilty of criminality. Hale may be the face of this evil but this canker’s roots lie in the heart of every white person in the community. There is a chilling scene in the film where a mob of prominent white men and women pressure Ernest not to testify against his uncle. Everyone in the room is a murderer to some degree, but do not view their actions as crimes, believing that white people have a God-given right to rule over other races. Another horrifying set of scenes involves the slow poisoning of Molly. She has diabetes and her husband is injecting her with insulin mixed with poison. This betrayal and betrayal has played out on many levels.
Martin Scorsese, who famously railed against the so-called decline of cinema, had a point to prove as to what proper cinema should be like and he has answered his critics through this film. Given the length of the film, it does come across as self-absorbed at times, though you never feel bored watching the human drama unfold. Why he deviated from the whodunit, the investigative approach of the book leaves us wondering. Linear progression piques your interest at times. Also, given the fact that the film shows crimes against Native Americans, shouldn’t the film be told from their perspective rather than that of the white villains? Molly should have been the center of it all, rather than Ernest, although you can’t expect your top-built star to take a back seat. The actual investigation reportedly took place over a period of two years, but here, it has been rushed and seems forced.
The films are believed to have been shot using film cameras, giving them an old-world quality, reminiscent of the films of John Huston. Daylight photography is a joy to look at and even the night scenes, mostly shot in true light, have a picturesque quality. For example, the scenes depicting Molly’s illness, where she lies drenched in sweat in a room lit by oil lamps, give a poignant touch to the proceedings. The background score is amazing and so is the sound design.
Scorsese chooses his actors carefully. Robert De Niro plays Hale. He is the ideal godfather figure for the community, who plays everyone’s friend but secretly covets their wealth. This Jekyll and Hyde persona is brought to life perfectly by the excellent actor. Lily Gladstone has been chosen as the ideal Native American beauty. Her expressions are not strong but her eyes say it all. The tragedy that unfolds in her when she catches her husband in a lie is almost horrifying. Leonardo DiCaprio is said to be Scorsese’s favorite actor, possibly apart from De Niro. This is the sixth collaboration between them and the actor does full justice to the trust his director has placed in him. At first he is shown as an ordinary person, then gradually he becomes addicted to a life of crime, indulging in robbery and gambling and even does not blink when it comes to planning a murder. Is. The actor brings out his character’s remorse and guilt admirably in the scene where he starts crying in jail after hearing about the death of his young daughter. It is a scene that shocks you to the core and you feel its impact even after leaving the theatre. On the other hand, one also feels that DiCaprio is paying homage to actors like Marlon Brando and Paul Muni in the latter half, especially in the parts where he is thrown in jail and asked to testify. He is not just himself in those scenes, but represents many of the actors specializing in tragedy who have graced American cinema.
Watch the film for a true portrayal of one of the harshest chapters in American history. And also for the richness of the acting talent displayed by all.