In 1973, Martin Scorsese broke through as a filmmaker thanks to the gangster film “Mean Streets.” The film not only was the beginning of Scorsese but also began a long-time collaboration with actor Robert De Niro, who made ten movies together, including “Taxi Driver,” “Raging Bull,” “Goodfellas,” and “The Irishman.” These films have gone down as some of the greatest films of all time, and Scorsese and De Niro’s partnership is regarded by many as the greatest actor and director partnership of all time. In 2002, Scorsese found success with another actor named Leonardo DiCaprio. Viewed by many as a teen heartthrob with films like “Romeo and Juliet” and “Titanic,” 2002’s “Gangs of New York” established DiCaprio as a serious and dramatic actor and would go on to make six movies with Scorsese, such as “The Aviator,” “The Departed,” and “The Wolf of Wall Street.” These films are viewed by many as some of DiCaprio’s best films, and his partnership with Scorsese is one of the best actor and director team-ups in modern-day cinema. After years of wondering if these three would come together to do a movie, in 2023, our prayers have been answered with an absolute masterpiece in “Killers of the Flower Moon.” Based on the novel of the same name and the true story of the 1920s Osage murders, Martin Scorsese provides a dark, realistic depiction of how far people will go to murder the wealthy side of the Osage Nation to get rich in the quickest way possible. Scorsese uses his usual themes of corruption, capitalism, and the rise and fall of an empire to tell a haunting tale that leaves you speechless. Leonardo DiCaprio gives the best performance of his career since his Oscar-winning performance in “The Revenant,” portraying Ernest Burkhart, who was seen as a pathetic criminal who marries an Osage woman and forces others to kill members of her family to gain her wealth. Robert De Niro delivers an excellent performance as William King Hale, who was the crime boss who led the attack on the Osage nation and was the uncle of Ernest. Lily Gladstone delivers a fantastic breakthrough performance as Ernest’s wife, Mollie. Being able to hold her own against titans in Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro, Gladstone takes the legends to school with a performance that is emotional and gut-wrenching, proving that just like what Margot Robbie did in “The Wolf of Wall Street,” Gladstone is a future star on the rise. Thanks to Martin Scorsese’s phenomenal direction and fantastic performances by Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, and Lily Gladstone, “Killers of the Flower Moon” is one of the best films of the year and another masterpiece from the legend himself.
Love the style and content of this review. Great job!