Killers of the Flower Moon: A cautionary tale for a Trumpian era

If only we can take heed of this film's political warnings

As Trump stepped into the White House for his second term, stocks of white male billionaires shot up in value and the United State’s democratic ideals found themselves yet again shaken to their core, I found myself watching Scorsese’s sombre and shameful account of how America really became the world’s leading economic power. 

The timing couldn’t have been more poignant: while today global majority groups are accused of stealing white people’s jobs and land (as well as eating their pets), in 2023's Killers of the Flower Moon  – set almost exactly a century ago – the people of the Osage tribe are envied for their newly found wealth from oil deposits from land which, the white Americans believe, should be theirs.

As in David Grann’s 2017 nonfiction book upon which the film is based, the three-and-a-half-hour feature (I'm sceptical about using the term 'epic') focuses specifically on dim-witted veteran Ernest Buckhart (played by Leonardo DiCaprio whose usual twinkly sexiness is sufficiently suppressed here). Ernest has returned from war to live with his uncle Hale (Robert De Niro), a rich and corrupt cattle baron and deputy sheriff who has close relationships with various members of the Osage. 

Slow, guileless and pathetically loyal to Hale, one early scene sees Ernest repeating his uncle’s words back to him, as though trying to make sense of their meaning. Alas, his eyes show a glimmer of understanding (and excitement) only when the subject of women arises. 

After wooing well-to-do Osage Mollie (Lily Gladstone), Ernest marries her at the advice of his uncle, thereby securing his stake in Mollie’s oil-rich estate. But the money is never enough, as Hale determines to protect Ernest’s share from Mollie’s sisters and brothers-in-law by any violent means necessary.

Magnetic, magnificent, Mollie is the only character that justifies the film’s length

De Niro is on form as the treacherous mastermind behind the epidemic of murder against the Osage – like a modern day Iago, his manipulation of Ernest and the tribe members is smooth and calculated, although his inner resentment towards the Osage occasionally glimmers through the polished cracks. “Osage women never tend to live past the age of 50,” he says at once sympathetically and sinisterly, just as the murders begin to pile up.

However brilliant De Niro and DiCaprio are, the film is ultimately grounded by Gladstone’s performance. Magnetic, magnificent, and the only character that justifies the film’s length, Mollie displays a majestic serenity that stands in the middle of a chaotic cycle of blood, death and violence. She is at the centre of a Steinbeck-esque universe, attracting toxic masculine jealousy through a powerful gravitational pull – through no fault other than simply existing. (How far the West has come…)

Which is why the only glaring flaw in the film is her willing trust in Ernest despite her intelligence. “Coyote wants money,” she smirks knowingly as Ernest attempts to flatter her. Perhaps marrying into Hale’s family is strategic on her part (keep your friends close et cetera), but how such a discerning woman cannot suspect her white husband set to inherit her estate is involved in her family’s demise is beyond comprehension. 

Or maybe she does – “You’re next” she warns Ernest as the chain of death lurks closer toward their family, but it’s unclear whether she’s asserting her knowledge of Hale’s plan or guessing at the mysterious murderer’s hit list. Either way, the film lulls in this third act as Mollie is robbed of her agency (and indeed vital screen time).

Killers of the Flower Moon nonetheless hits home the message it wants to deliver, no less so than in its penultimate scene (featuring a cameo from Scorsese himself) that jolts the audience back into the 21st century, reminding us of the story’s lingering presence today. If only we can take heed of its warnings. 

To celebrate this fundamentally American story and the US election outcome, I’ve selected a Canadian icewine as a pairing. As viscous as Osage oil and as gold as the 20th century gold rush, Inniskilin’s Gold Vidal 2019 icewine is made by pressing frozen grapes from Niagara to produce a dessert wine oozing with white peach, mandarin and nutmeg from new French oak. 

Mollie’s sweet tooth would have delighted in its concentrated honey notes and, of course, you can use its saccharine sweetness to numb the bitter taste left in your mouth as the world adjusts once more to a Trumpian era.

Killers of the Flower Moon is available to rent or buy on Amazon. Inniskllin Gold Vidal Icewine half bottle 2019 is available at Noble Green Wines (£55.90).