Killers of the Flower Moon Is Very Much Worth 3.5 Hours At The Movies
Go to the movies.
ALWAYS GO TO THE MOVIES.
Protect the tradition of going to the theater, shutting off the real world, and getting lost in the magic of the big screen.
Anyway, Martin Scorsese just released a new movie, quite possibly his last of this size in terms of marketing, cast, and hype, starring the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert DeNiro, Lily Gladstone (might win the Oscar), and a slew of other stars.
Based on David Grann's broadly lauded best-selling book, "Killers of the Flower Moon" is set in 1920s Oklahoma and depicts the serial murder of members of the oil-wealthy Osage Nation, a string of brutal crimes that came to be known as the Reign of Terror. -- via Rotten Tomatoes
I'll cut right to the chase: 'KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON' IS A GRIPPING, BRUTAL STORY LOADED WITH INCREDIBLE PERFORMANCES AND CREATIVE STORYTELLING FROM THE MASTER MARTIN SCORSESE AS IT SLOTS IN WITH MANY TOP TIER MOVIES FROM THE LEGENDARY DIRECTOR, BUT POSSIBLY A HAIR BELOW HIS BEST.
For me, 'Killers of the Flower Moon' just reaches into the "great" territory, but also dangles a little bit into "really good." There isn't a ton missing from this movie, and I think complaining about the three-and-a-half-hour runtime is a little crazy. As always with Scorsese's movies, the editing is off the charts, and it helps the runtime fly by as it hits all of its emotional beats in the story to keep you engaged. || (REMINDER: Always characters & story over plot with Scorsese) || Without spoiling anything from the movie, getting into the "mystery" of the story, and introducing some of those characters earlier is my biggest complaint. The second act kicking into the gear quicker is the small difference from this being in the true upper echelon of movies from Martin Scorsese.
How about the performances? Leonardo DiCaprio can get lost in a role as well as anyone and proves he has endless range over-and-over again. Jesse Plemons is always a delight on screen, never leaving an ounce of anything out of a role. Robert DeNiro was quite the surprise for me, bringing and energy and vibe to his role in the movie that really elevated everything. Then, of course, as everyone has said, Lily Gladstone, especially early on in the movie, was fantastic. Both Gladstone and DiCaprio has incredible on-screen chemistry.
SKIP TO THE END FOR A SMALL SPOILER TAKE ON THE MOVIE
I'll get more into it, along with my score, and where it ranks among other Scorsese movies on Lights, Camera, Barstool this week (with guest Kirk Minihane), but just know I thought this was an excellent release. It's much different than anything he has put out before, and it is close to a '12 Years a Slave' in terms of type of movie. You probably, regardless of how you feel about this movie, will not be revisiting this for a "fun" watch, or anything. The movie has a near-documentary feel, especially for a based on a true story biopic, and I think Scorsese paints it with a fantastic stroke as per usual.
In the end, even if this isn't something for you, or you've been told it may not be the best, you shouldn't take for granted that this is a collaboration between a legendary director in the twilight of his career with a few iconic actors. We may not get something like this again from a Mt. Rushmore director. Who cares if it is 90 minutes, or over 200 minutes, take the time to go see this movie.
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Now, as for this tweet...
Most people, both the ones furious with me and backing me up, misunderstood what I was trying to say. There is also an element I must note that I did a fairly poor job getting the point across in the tweet.
1) I DO NOT CARE WHO REVIEWS MOVIES AT BARSTOOL. I DO NOT OWN THE SPACE. IT IS GOOD THAT ANYONE TALKS ABOUT MOVIES. I HOPE PEOPLE DO IT MORE. CHEAH LOVES MOVIES, AND HE CAN MAKE HIS OPINION KNOWN, JUST LIKE WE CAN ALL AGREE OR HATE IT.
2) I am just sick of fucking headlines like this coming from Barstool Sports…
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Can we NOT paint Barstool as a fucking anti-movie theaters company!?
Did I overreact to Cheah's tweet? Maybe.
But everyone knows I fucking despised that first blog from Chris. So much so I even wrote a follow up…
I am just tired of Barstool having the quote tweets and replies fly on social media around big movie releases (Barbie, Oppenheimer, Killers of the Flower Moon, etc.) centered around the notion we don't support going to the movies.
Dumb, annoying, maybe stupid, but it got me riled the fuck up.
Anyway, go to the movies. Go see 'Killers of the Flower Moon'. Go see 'Saw X'. Go see 'The Creator'. See it all, good, bad, mediocre, hilarious, sad. Just escape, enjoy the experience, and keep it alive!
-- KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON SPOILERS --
- I loved the ending of this movie. If this is in fact Martin Scorsese's final big movie, what a way to go out by putting himself in the final scenes. Imagine if the movie just ended with standard black and white text end cards, explaining what happened the characters? It wouldn't have hit home nearly as much. The way Scorsese wraps this story is pretty captivating, and really hammers home the idea that life, death, family, nothing whatsoever mattered in this story, only money, greed, and power. 'Killers of the Flower Moon' ends on quite the powerful note.
- I wanted Jesse Plemons and the investigation to start sooner. Had we gotten more into the mystery, and the story behind what & why is happening, I think it would have delivered on an even greater level.