The film is based on the 2017 true crime book Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI, which depicts the incessant murders of the Osage people in 1920s Oklahoma. Leonardo DiCaprio plays Ernest Burkhart, a dim middle-aged white man who travels to Oklahoma to live with his brother and uncle, William “King” Hale, played by Robert De Niro. Soon after Ernest arrives at his uncle’s cattle ranch, he learns of the Osage community and their lucrative oil rights. Mollie Kyle, played by Lily Gladstone, is an Osage woman whose family has rights to that oil money. King encourages his nephew to woo and marry her to access her family’s wealth. The rest of the film deals with the conniving and killing directed at the Osage community to feed the greed of the opportunistic white interlopers.

Martin Scorsese and co-writer Eric Roth did a good job returning the audience to Ernest and Mollie’s relationship throughout the film. Their new romance is portrayed as budding and innocent during the film’s first quarter. But the audience senses Ernest’s impure motives. Innocence wears off as the film progresses with more focus on family and the dying Osage. “Do you still love me?,” a sickly Mollie asks her husband after sensing an emotional distance. Ernest exemplifies how love cannot, in fact, conquer all. In this case, greed overpowered love from the very beginning. 

Racism also impacts relationship dynamics in the film. Prevalent in Mollie and Ernest’s relationship, it is also present in the majority of white and Osage interactions. King, Ernest’s uncle, is a perfect example. Despite being the mastermind behind Ernest’s ruse with Mollie and her family, he is a leader in the community who has befriended many Osage residents. However, not enough to stop him from betraying them. 

The biggest problem with the film is the representation of the Osage population. In their own story, they were minimized to the point that the story centered around the white power players. This is a story about white men capitalizing on Osage people’s vulnerability. All of the Osage characters, except Mollie, are underdeveloped. Despite this, it is appreciated that this is a film about a hardly discussed chapter of American history. It feels like a step in the right direction for cinema.   

The outstanding performances by Leonardo DiCaprio and Lily Gladstone were the primary reason I loved the film. We know that DiCaprio is one of the best actors to date, and in this movie, we see why. His ability to embody complex and diverse motives is remarkable. I was pleasantly surprised by the relatable strength Gladstone, a relative newcomer to larger productions, shows as Mollie. The authentic costumes and realistic set design transport the viewer to the rural 1920s America. This film is an investment at almost three and a half hours, but it is visually stunning, moving, impactful and worth your time.

‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ is currently playing at FilmScene in Iowa City, as of November 13th, 2023.

The 500 Club seeks to provide concise film reviews and criticism at around a cool 500 words for your viewing pleasure.

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The story begins with an aging politician named Ransom Stoddard (played by Stewart) returning to the tamed western town of Shinbone to attend the funeral of an old friend of his, a man named Tom Doniphon (played by John Wayne). After some prodding from the local newspapers, Stoddard tells the tale of his relationship with Doniphon and Shinbone, and how he came to be a politician, the tale of how he became a local legend by killing the vicious outlaw Liberty Valance (played by Lee Marvin).

Many years prior, Stoddard was on his way to Shinbone as an attorney until he was robbed and left for dead by Valance and his gang. Stoddard was recovered and taken to Shinbone by Doniphon, and was nursed back to health by a local Swedish family. After Stoddard gets back on his feet, he resolves to help rid the town of Valance and his gang but by law and not by gun. He also resolves to act as a teacher of reading and writing, much to the chagrin of Doniphon.

James Stewart is an absolute powerhouse in this film. The way he pulls off boiling frustration and anger is just perfect. He’s borderline frightening when he loses his patience and composure. He puts everything into the emotions as a put-upon attorney pushed to his very limit to go against his moral code. He shakes when he shouts and clenches his fists and when poised and dignified he has complete control over the stillness of his body. Stewart is mostly known for his humble idealist characters and his unmistakable voice, but what’s glossed over is how physical of an actor he is, and how that might be his strongest tool. It’s certainly his strongest tool here. (He punches John Wayne and makes it believable, which sounds insane on paper!)

Once again John Ford gets an excellent performance out of John Wayne after collaborating in the The Quiet Man and the western classic called The Searchers. Wayne plays the part of the hardened cynic, wary of the ways of the wild west. He values the gun over the word when it comes down to business. Underneath the hardened exterior is a great level of care for the town of Shinbone and everyone in it, including Stoddard. This brings excellent nuance to Wayne’s role as a grumpy mentor figure and is a great foil to Stewart’s idealism.

Lee Marvin is as imposing and terrifying as Liberty Valance. While he doesn’t get as much screen time as Stewart or Wayne, he makes the most out of every onscreen appearance. He is everything you fear in a criminal: arrogant, sinister, a total psychopath. All characteristics that are illustrated by how he laughs when he’s in control and by his bouts of violent anger when things don’t go his way. And even when he is not onscreen he’s still imposing just by how the people of Shinbone speak of him with fear in their voices.

The supporting cast is excellent as well from the bold love interest Hallie (played by Vera Miles), to the goof of a marshal (played by Andy Devine) to an especially entertaining performance out of the local newspaperman/town drunk Dutton Peabody (played by Edmond O’Brien). The town of Shinbone feels so alive with these colorful characters, and their interactions are so believable and fulfilling.

(The Quiet Man is another prime example of how John Ford makes a community within a film feel alive, and that’s perhaps my favorite aspect of his work)

While the skeleton of the story is one we’ve seen in so many Westerns, “save the town from the outlaws,” it’s in the way The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance approaches the solution to that ordeal, as well as the strength of the characters and the actors that make this film an unforgettable classic from beginning to end.

And some supplementary content:

For more James Stewart, check out It’s a Wonderful Life and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.

For more John Ford movies starring John Wayne, check out The Searchers and The Quiet Man.

For more Lee Marvin, watch The Dirty Dozen and a television program called M Squad.

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In order to best understand this movie, its important to note in what context  it was first received. By 1966, the year of the film’s release, the genre of the Western had become worn out. Particularly, the “Spaghetti Western” (Westerns directed and produced by Italians) had been mostly ignored by film critics. Sergio Leone’s graphic and over-the-top depictions of violence, along with his morally ambiguous characters, stood in stark contrast to the standard (and sometimes cheesy) John Wayne Western.

The film starts out with a slow and dramatic rise of tension, as three dusty cowpokes descend on a lonely and dilapidated building. The lack of dialogue allows the use of the soundtrack and the sound effects to tell the story and set the emotional stage. It isn’t until the second scene, nearly 11 minutes into the film, that we hear the first of the dialogue. One man’s peaceful family existence is brutally shot down in cold blood (Leone would use very similar opening sequences in his next film Once Upon a Time in the West) and the main plot begins to take off.

The story revolves around three characters: Blondie (The Good) the morally questionable anti-hero played by Clint Eastwood, Angel Eyes (The Bad) a ruthless bounty hunter, and Tuco (The Ugly) a wise-talking loud-mouth bandito. All three become tangled up in a race to find a buried treasure worth $200,000 in gold.

The film takes place in the waning years of the American Civil War, and the main characters spend time with both Union and Confederate soldiers. Interestingly, the film never passes moral judgement on either side of the conflict, but is more interested in looking at the consequences of the war on its fighters and on the nation itself.

An important point needs to be made regarding the sound and stylistic elements of the film. Especially for those of us raised on mainstream Hollywood movies, or those of us familiar with the gritty and realistic modern Western, it can sometimes be difficult to interpret the film. In true Italian style of the time, all of the sound and dialogue is recorded separately from the filming. While American movies may take a perfectionist stance on synching sound and video, this film focuses more on atmosphere and style. Dialogue is not perfectly synched with the actor’s mouths, the sound effects are sometimes obviously recorded in post-production, a style maybe too little difficult to swallow at first.

This translates into other elements of the film as well. While many modern Western-themed cinema may focus on a more realistic portrayal of the Old West, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is much more concerned with the drama and romance of the genre. Sometimes, the incredible actions of the characters may not be entirely believable, but its more important to enjoy the spectacle of it all than to be convinced that everything you see on screen is hyper-realistic.

Filled to the brim with sharpshooting, standoffs, shootouts, and getaways, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is an action-packed adventure. However, it is a nearly three hour long adventure, and during the film’s most dramatic moments Leone is not afraid to slow the pace way down, taking his time to rack up the tension.

This film should be best enjoyed like the five-star meal that it is; savoring each and every wide shot and extreme close up. Expecting the cheap non-stop thrills of a modern action flick will only hinder your ability to truly appreciate this masterpiece.

My Personal Rating: 9/10

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is available for streaming on Netflix Instant.

Its also available for download on iTunes.

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