Even on the scale of Cannes, the presentation of Killers of the Flower Moon, the new film by Martin Scorsese, borrowed an epic event character. Although his three-hour-plus fresco is different in tone and style from anything the director of Taxi Driver has offered so far, it has nonetheless won over festival-goers.
Thierry Frémaux, general delegate of the festival, did try to convince Martin Scorsese and the directors of the Apple and Paramount studios to register Killers of the Flower Moon in the official competition, but the new fresco of a filmmaker who, in 1976, won the Palme d’Or thanks to Taxi Driver, was finally presented on Saturday out of competition. The studios have indeed estimated that the launches of Top Gun: Maverick and D’Elvis last year on the Croisette had launched the careers of these two great productions so well that it was useless to put in competition such a long-awaited feature film, directed by one of the contemporary masters of cinema.
Obviously, the presentation of Killers of the Flower Moon, which lasts 206 minutes, was the most popular event of the day on Saturday, the screening for journalists and the gala screening taking place almost simultaneously. By bringing to the screen a screenplay he wrote with Eric Roth (Munich, Dunes) inspired by a book published by David Grann, Martin Scorsese offers one of his most accomplished films, even if the grace is expressed here in a slightly less spectacular way than in his previous works.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY PARAMOUNT PICTURES
Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio in Killers of the Flower Moona film by Martin Scorsese
“You’re more likely to convict someone who kicked a dog than someone who killed an Indian. This line, launched by a lawyer in this America of the 1920s, sums up in itself the state of mind reigning in Oklahoma at that time. And likely also explains why Leonardo DiCaprio and the filmmaker evolved this project over the years to focus more specifically on the history of the Osage Nation, which occupied oil-rich territory, including members were mysteriously – and horribly – murdered.
A spirit true crime
Killers of the Flower Moon begins magnificently with an Aboriginal funeral ritual, which ends with the explosion of a jet of oil spraying jubilant individuals. When Ernest Burkhart (Leonardo DiCaprio), a war veteran, returns home to his uncle William Hale (Robert De Niro), a leading rancher in the region, we are surprised to see how much crossbreeding is prized in the family and how these unions between white men and First Nations women seem integrated and harmonious. This is of course a misleading impression.
Distilling a spirit true crime, the story is devoted to unearthing the culprits of the murders which do not cease accumulating, systematically targeting the Native people. We are particularly interested here in the journey of Ernest and his wife Molly (Lily Gladstone), particularly affected by the tragedy. Uncle William is also very involved in the couple’s life, which also gives us great scenes between Martin Scorsese’s two favorite actors, who meet for the first time in front of the filmmaker’s camera.
It is also worth highlighting the performance of Leonardo DiCaprio, remarkable in the skin of a man who gradually loses all his certainties, and, above all, that of Robert De Niro. The latter plays here one of the greatest roles of his career. Able to be both fundamentally human and incredibly cruel, his character is reminiscent of – particularly in a scene where he gives punishment – the Al Capone of Untouchables…
Lily Gladstone, a revelation
That said, the revelation of Killers of the Flower Moon is Lily Gladstone. Seen in particular in the films of Kelly Reichardt (Certain Women, First Cow), the actress gratifies us with a great composition in the role of a woman married to a man who is perhaps not quite the one she thinks she knows.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY PARAMOUNT PICTURES
Leonardo DiCaprio and Lily Gladstone in Killers of the Flower Moon. Martin Scorsese’s film is presented at Cannes out of competition.
Ultimately, Martin Scorsese lifts the veil on a chapter of American history that is too little known, told from the point of view of those who were tragically harmed by the injustices of the time.
We will obviously have the opportunity to talk about it again in the coming months, since Killers of the Flower Moon hits theaters on October 20. Martin Scorsese’s feature film will then be streamed online via Apple+.