A Good Movie Doesn't Need to Be Dramatic | Killers of the Flower Moon (2023)

I've been waiting for a long time for the release of Killers of the Flower Moon on Apple TV+ streaming service. That's because I didn't have the chance to watch this movie during its theatrical release. It feels a bit unforgivable to miss Martin Scrosese's movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio. Adapting a book with the same title, I who used to read the book (although not completely) was so interested in the premise.

A white man who was manipulated to infiltrate an Indian tribe in the United States who at that time were arguably the richest people on earth. Incidentally, the land they were on was the land with the largest oil reserves in the world at that time.

Because I didn't have time to finish the book, and also coincided with the release of the movie, I decided to wait for the release of the movie. Not knowing how the finale would turn out, I had always assumed that it would be filled with dramatic scenes of Ernest Buckhart (Leonardo DiCaprio) in a dilemma of whether to stay by the side of his loved ones or pursue wealth, along with his co-star William Hale (Robert De Niro). If this is the impression you're expecting from this movie, I think you're in for a disappointment.

With a lengthy running time for modern movies (3 hours and 26 minutes), this movie seems to be deliberately taken slowly by Martin Scorsese. What can be contained in that time period? Of course, the complexity of the case. The audience seems to be 'forced' to understand how the social and economic situation of Osage Village, a village of Indian tribes. Osage is indeed an anomaly, there the Indians are a group of people who happen to live in a land that contains abundant crude oil. They call it "black gold". White people, who at that time already had superiority in the land of the United States, seemed to just be bowed down by the wealth of the Indians, scavenging for the fortune of the Indians. Some people felt lucky to be able to earn a living from the Indians' money, but for some greedy people they wanted to control what the Indians enjoyed, even if their lives and blood were at stake.

Towards the end of the movie, Martin Scorsese does not try to escalate the conflict between Ernest and Hale. Even you could say it's lacking drama. But because it's not as dramatic, does it make this movie less good? I don't think so.

Although I need to admit that this movie is not Martin Scorsese's best work, but it feels like he doesn't just want this to be Martin Scorsese's "own" work. Unlike Oppenheimer, which I think became Christopher Nolan's "own" work.

This movie feels like it's dedicated to Indians in particular, and minorities everywhere in general. It feels naive to deny that colonialism did not only occur by way of combat on the battlefield, but also in the ways that Hale was able to infiltrate the Indians from within. This movie wants to show the ruthless image of anyone who is greedy and arrogant, that the life of a person who should even be loved is meaningless when wealth is up for grabs.

Martin Scorsese has managed to explore the rich culture of the Indians in the middle of a murderous rampage. The Indians are not just a third-rate cast in this movie, it is  not a movie where the white man knows best what is right and wrong. Lily Gladstone who plays Mollie Buckhart also gives a good impression of playing the most representative role of the Indians in this film, her elegance and observance are the reasons why the Indians at that time still had a glimmer of hope to be able to escape the leeches of the white man at that time.

One of the things that I think also gives a good impression of this movie is how the background music with a simple drum beat brings a tense and gripping impression throughout the movie while giving a dynamic impression in the movie. There are also some neat and beautiful shots presented by Martin Scorsese throughout the movie, after all, this matter feels unquestionable anyway.