When oil is discovered in 1920s Oklahoma under Osage Nation land, the Osage people are murdered one by one — until the FBI steps in to unravel the mystery. A film by Martin Scorsese, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Lily Gladstone, Jesse Plemons, Tantoo Cardinal, John Lithgow and Brendan Fraser.

A crime drama film based on the 2017 nonfiction book of the same name by American journalist David Grann, about into the chilling story of a series of murders that plagued the Osage Nation after oil was discovered on their tribal land. Time magazine named the book one of its top ten nonfiction works of 2017.

Amidst the Osage Nation’s annual “flower moon” spectacle of blooming fields, big oil deposits are discovered under their Oklahoma reservation. The Osage secure court-ordered headrights to the oil profits, propelling the tribe to unprecedented wealth. Retaining mineral rights, they share the oil-lease revenues, transforming their lives.

A headright refers to a legal grant of land given to settlers during the period of European colonization in the Americas. A “headright” includes both the grant of land and the owner (the head) that claims the land. An Osage headright is a legal grant of land given to members of the Osage Nation enrolled in 1906. There are 2,229 Osage headrights in total. Each headright entitles the owner to a quarterly share of the Osage Mineral Estate, which includes profits from oil, gas, and other resources extracted from Osage Nation land.

In 1919, Ernest Burkhart (Leonardo DiCaprio) returns from World War I to join his brother Byron (Scott Shepherd) and work for their uncle William King Hale (Robert De Niro) on Hale’s reservation ranch. Hale, a reserve deputy sheriff, cultivates a friendly image, speaking the Osage language and showering them with gifts. However, beneath Hale’s benevolent façade lies a sinister plot to seize control of the Osage headrights.

Meanwhile, numerous young Osage members begin to meet their untimely deaths, raising suspicions of foul play, but no official investigations are conducted. No one questions the circumstances surrounding their deaths. Mollie Kyle, an Osage woman, visits her guardian to request her own money to pay medical bills. (Under the prevailing system, Osages are deemed “incompetent” by the U.S. government and prohibited from managing their own finances. Instead, they are assigned financial guardians, typically white men, who control their money.)

Ernest and Mollie’s paths cross when he begins working as her daytime cab driver. She quickly becomes one of his most frequent customers. At night, Ernest and Byron embark on a spree of armed robberies, targeting wealthy Osages. Their ill-gotten gains are squandered in high-stakes poker games. Upon learning of Ernest’s connection to Mollie, Hale devises a plan to exploit the situation. He suggests Ernest to court Mollie Kyle, whose family possesses valuable Osage headrights. Ernest, unsuspecting of Hale’s true intentions, falls in love with Mollie and eventually marries her. Little does he know that Hale has orchestrated a deadly scheme to eliminate Mollie’s family in order to subsequently divert their headrights to his own control.

KILLERS of the FLOWER MOON is an epic film that demands patience from its audience. The film’s cinematography is stunning, capturing the beauty and harshness of the Oklahoma landscape. While the performances are impressive, particularly Lily Gladstone’s, the narrative’s pacing feels disjointed due to frequent scene cuts that unnecessarily interrupt the flow. It’s as if the film is relying on outdated storytelling techniques.

The film’s length, spanning over three hours, is excessive for a single viewing. A two or three-part limited series would have been a more suitable format, allowing for a more in-depth exploration of the characters and plot. Additionally, the film omits crucial information due to its large cast and limited character development.

The viewers are forced to wait two hours before the bureau of investigation agent Tom White (Jesse Plemons) arrives to unravel the perplexing murders. While it’s undeniably satisfying to witness the villains conveniently eliminated through Hale’s meticulously crafted plan, there’s an underlying sense of ease and predictability that dampens the dramatic impact.

KILLERS of the FLOWER MOON premiered at Festival de Cannes on 20 May 2023. The film received a global theatrical rollout on 20 October.

The lengthy 190-minute runtime of the film (excluding end credits) has drawn criticism, with some cinemas in Denmark, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Brazil, the Netherlands, and the United States introducing their own intermissions into the film. Paramount and Apple Original Films deemed these theaters to be in violation of their contract and took action to have it stopped.