Hollywood Gradebook: ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’

Film: Killers of the Flower Moon (2023)

Plot: Based on a true story and told through the improbable romance of Ernest Burkhart (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Mollie Kyle (Lily Gladstone), “Killers of the Flower Moon” is an epic western crime saga, where real love crosses paths with unspeakable betrayal.

Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Jesse Plemons, Lily Gladstone, Tantoo Cardinal, John Lithgow, Brendan Fraser, Cara Jade Myers, JaNae Collins, Jillian Dion, William Belleau, Louis Cancelmi, Tatanka Means, Michael Abbot Jr., Pat Healy, Scott Shepard, Jason Isbell, Sturgill Simpson

Director: Martin Scorsese

Studio: Apple TV

Average Grade: A-

Number of Graders: 35

MEMBER REVIEWS

Ema Sasic
KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON…WOW. A harrowing story that is difficult to watch given the subject matter, but you can’t help but marvel at the mastery on screen. Leonardo DiCaprio, Lily Gladstone and Robert De Niro are absolutely incredible. Among top-tier Martin Scorsese.
GRADE: A

Christian Eulinberg
I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this movie, especially after doing pre-watching research. Discovering that it’s based on a true story from a book intrigued me. The film has a slow build but maintains your interest in the plot, keeping you hooked. The performances of Lily, Gladstone, Robert De Niro, and Leonardo DiCaprio were outstanding, and it was gratifying to see other well-known actors in smaller roles that added depth to the overall story. I believe Martin Scorsese handled the sensitive subjects of these events tactfully, making the world depicted feel authentic and the threat tangible.
GRADE: A-

Chris James
Yet again, Martin Scorsese has knocked it out of the park. Killers of the Flower Moon is a stunning piece that allows Scorsese to take his knack for the gangster film and apply it to the soulful pace of a Western. The central tension between the Osage tribe, who discovered oil on their land, and the white vultures that swarmed the area is felt both in the text of the conflict down to the production design and costumes melding the influences. It’s not just a true crime tale. Killers of the Flower Moon dramatizes the death of a way of life and the birth of a warped new way of living. DiCaprio is as good as ever. However, the veteran Robert De Niro gives a career-best performance (or at least the best he’s been in over 30 years) as a wolf in sheep’s clothing, a pillar of the community; if the pillar was filled with rot or being eaten away by termites. Meanwhile, Lily Gladstone acts as the heart of the movie, a careful observer whom the audience cannot take their eyes off of. Scorsese has often been drawn to the bombastic, but he seems particularly taken with Gladstone’s Molly and her piercing gaze. The film is well worth its 3-and-a-half-hour runtime (except for the final courtroom drama act, which feels overwrought).
GRADE: A

Caillou Pettis
Killers of the Flower Moon stands as a testament to Martin Scorsese’s directorial prowess and the talent of its exceptional cast. The film’s exploration of a dark chapter in American history, coupled with outstanding performances, makes it a must-watch for any aficionado of crime dramas and historical epics.
GRADE: A

Jana N Nagase
Killer Of the Flower Moon is 3 1/2 hours of pure cinema. Martin Scorsese delivers a majestic cinematic experience, which you must watch on a big screen possible. Outstanding performances by Lily Gladstone, Leonardo DiCaprio & Robert De Niro. Impeccable cinematography by Rodrigo Pietro & accurate period costumes.
I sense some awards come its way!”
GRADE: A

Francisco Cangiano
Yet another phenomenal outing by Mr. Scorsese. An unsettling, absorbing true crime portrait about sins, power, greed & legacy. Offers one of Leonardo DiCaprio’s best performances, while Lily Gladstone is hauntingly moving. Top tier Scorsese, and one of the best films of the year.
GRADE: A+

Aaron White
Martin Scorsese’s impressive adaptation of Grann’s non-fiction account feels very much in line with the director’s family crime stories of the past while highlighting an insidious historical injustice that encourages reflection. A+ acting work from Lily, Leo, and Bob carry this complex character drama and Prieto’s photography is mesmerizing. The length and patient pacing will be a challenge for some and it’s a shame that the Osage characters weren’t established a little more deeply, but despite some nitpicks this is still upper-tier work from the legendary director.
GRADE: B+

Don Shanahan
Make no mistake. You will see plenty of revered, notable performers and swaths of impressive production value throughout the sizable length of Killers of the Flower Moon. Those elements will capture your gaze and hold your attention as they are introduced and developed. Yet, at some point, due to temperate repetition or portending indifference (or both), the pedigree effect wears off, and the fair to middling suspense and partial respect for history gets lost in the same pace of the same guitar.
GRADE: C-

Daniel Howat
Killers of the Flower Moon is an epic tragedy masterfully crafted. It’s moving and becomes more and more haunting as the sinister nature of the story slowly dials up. Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro are in top shape, bringing an unsettling believability to abhorrent thirst for power. Lily Gladstone carries the emotional weight of the film perfectly.

A slow-moving, gripping reflection on American injustice. Sprawling in both scope and impact, with an ending that I’ll be thinking about for ages.
GRADE: A

Nicholas Spake
Killers of the Flower Moon revolves around the Osage Nation murders in the early 20th century. A more conventional film would focus on Jesse Plemons as Tom White, a BOI agent sent to investigate the case. The Osage murders were briefly touched upon in 1959’s The FBI Story, which cast James Stewart as the hero. Although Tom White is the most heroic figure in Martin Scorsese’s latest masterpiece, he isn’t the protagonist. Scorsese has always excelled in unearthing the layers of deeply flawed, often unsympathetic men. Ernest Burkhart is among the most pathetic figures that Scorsese has tackled. However, the decision to tell this story from his perspective makes the film so engrossing.
GRADE: A

Erik Anderson
KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON finds Scorsese inserting familiar gangster notes, but maybe his most reserved version of them. De Niro is insidiously good, DiCaprio sometimes leans a bit into ‘French fried potaters’ territory, but Gladstone is the gorgeous, beating heart here.
GRADE: B

Josie Meléndez
Killers of the Flower Moon continues to prove why Martin Scorsese is one of the greats. Despite the runtime, the film is able to hold your interest through its remarkable performances with Lily Gladstone at the forefront as a force of nature.
GRADE: A-

Matthew Creith
Directed by Martin Scorsese and based on a 2017 novel by David Grann, Killers of the Flower Moon is astonishingly horrific and genius filmmaking at its most provocative. The movie is a personal one to Scorsese, as evidenced by Ernest and Bill’s ruthless crimes juxtaposed with the helpless nature of the Osage people.
GRADE: A

Aaron Neuwirth
I hope there’s a drive for people to want to see what a modern epic from director Martin Scorsese looks like. Operating as a historical drama wrapped around ideas fit for both Westerns and crime thrillers, Killers of the Flower Moon has a lot to say about significant events of the past, which can no doubt be linked to the themes of today. It’s also a very thoughtful film. The much-reported on runtime of the film clocks in at just under three and a half hours, meaning there’s an investment that comes with seeing some of the best in the business deliver a dark tale concerning the Osage Indian murders. However, looking at how that time is utilized, not only is emphasis and respect placed where appropriate, there’s a genuine fascination with what it means to have certain cultures blend, how society responds, and the tragic effects of corruption.
GRADE: A

Rachel Leishman

Killers of the Flower Moon is a masterpiece that brings together the art of Martin Scorsese’s work to life through the real story of the Osage Nation murders at the hands of Ernest Burkhart and his uncle, William King Hale. With its 3+ hour-long runtime, the movie never feels like a drag but always feels informative and necessary in telling Mollie’s story.
GRADE: A+

Clarence Moye
One of the very best films of the year. Scorsese delivers a film that incorporates all aspects of the tragic crimes committed against the Osage people. Aside from a single ill-advised performance, the cast is peerless. Despite the length, my first thought after leaving the film was that I had to see it again.
GRADE: A

Paul McGuire Grimes
Martin Scorsese has been making movies for over sixty years. It’s a testament to his vision as a director and storyteller to continue to make vital films that resonate. “Killers of the Flower Moon” has all the themes Scorsese has wrestled with over the years like culture, identity, religion, and the evil within us. Even the murders here happen like the mob hits we associate with Scorsese.
GRADE: A

Rick Bentley
The emotional elements of “Killers of the Flower Moon” are as large and majestic as the Oklahoma landscape that serves as the background for the film. Just like the gentle topography of the land, there are no massive emotional peaks or valleys. It all just unfolds with a gentle rise and fall that pays respect to the land and the Osage people.
GRADE: A

Daniel Rester
Killers of the Flower Moon is a long but gripping film from legendary director Martin Scorsese. Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro are compelling as the villains while Lily Gladstone brings the heart of the film. The cinematography and production design are immaculate and Robbie Robertson’s music score manages to be both tense and soothing. One of 2023’s best films.

GRADE: A

Jami Philbrick

Director Martin Scorsese delivers another epic movie with Killers of the Flower Moon but with an almost three and a half hour runtime the urgency of the story becomes lost. The film marks Robert De Niro’s best role in years, however, it is Lily Gladstone’s enchanting performance that is the real standout.
GRADE: B-

Jeremy Mathai
A gripping and all-too-real spiral down into the depths that lurk just below the surface of white America, Killers of the Flower Moon is yet another masterclass from Martin Scorsese. Like so many of his prior efforts, his latest feels timeless despite its fixated place in Osage history, downright galling despite the casualness of its depicted crimes and criminals, and constantly aware of the limits of its own perspective — even as it concludes on one of the most tragic, self-meditative sequences in his entire filmography.
GRADE: A

Terence Johnson
Based on the non-fiction book of the same name by David Grann, the film is a snapshot of a particularly harrowing part of American history and aims to shed light on how this affected the Osage people. The central trio of Killers of the Flower Moon are boosted by a wonderful ensemble of actors who fill in the nooks and crannies of this story with the performances, giving life both to the perpetrators and victims of their crimes. As a whole the movie is well put together, with the below-the-line folks nailing every single costume, set, and sound that we see. While the tale may be horrible and infuriating, the movie is a full sensory experience that should be mandatory for everyone to experience.
GRADE: A-

Tom O’Brien
Martin Scorsese has given us much to chew on in Killers of the Flower Moon, and though familiar Scorsese themes recur, its focus on the unspeakable evils perpetrated on Indigenous people (personified by Lily Gladstone’s Molly) eclipses any of the criminality of Scorsese’s earlier films. Yet as Molly moves from the story’s center, so too does that extra element of complexity that made its early portions so compelling. Even if KILLERS is not the masterpiece for which we had hoped, it artfully raises disturbing questions that need to be asked. Truly great performances from its starring trio.
GRADE: A-

Jonathan Fujii
An epic in terms of scale, length, and subject matter. Brilliantly told by Martin Scorsese with some of the better performances of the year. A fascinating film that stays with you even after the credits.
GRADE: A-

Anthony Digioia

Killers of the Flower Moon is another brilliant piece of cinema from Mr. Scorsese. The acting, direction, scoring, and cinematography are all perfectly dialed in. It also moves very well for its runtime with its emotionally engaging plot. De Niro, Gladstone, and DiCaprio are fantastic and this movie far exceeded my expectations.
GRADE: A

Matt Neglia
KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON is an epic crime western that in the old days would’ve been a radio show but today we typically see as a podcast or television miniseries but not when you give Martin Scorsese over $200 million and full creative freedom. The result is some of Scorsese’s darkest thematic content to date. Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro & Lily Gladstone are all phenomenal delivering performances worthy of awards recognition. The powerful ending (which will be widely discussed) took this from being great to another masterpiece from the world’s greatest living director. A tragic rumination on greed & power.
GRADE: A

Francisco Cangiano
Killers of the Flower Moon is yet another phenomenal outing by Mr. Martin Scorsese. An unsettling, absorbing true crime portrait about sins, power, greed and legacy. One of Leonardo DiCaprio’s best performances is complemented by Robert De Niro’s best work in recent years. Lily Gladstone is a revelation and shines bright with a hauntingly moving performance. Killers of the Flower Moon is top-tier Scorsese and one of the best films of the year.
GRADE: A+

Maggie Ma
KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON is long but it’s still a masterpiece in any way and an incredible story about greed and injustice. The victims, especially women who have been taken advantage of through marriage are easily related to because similar things are still happening everywhere. I really enjoyed every scene of Leonardo DiCaprio with Robert De Niro.
GRADE: A-

Diego Andaluz
KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON is Martin Scorsese’s epic meditation on the consequences of blind trust, greed, & betrayal centered on Lily Gladstone’s revelatory, soul-crushing performance. With a deliberate pace of unfurling the truth, it shines as an important masterwork for our time.
GRADE: A-

Abe Friedtanzer
Martin Scorsese’s latest film and the first feature opportunity for his repeat stars Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio to share the screen is certainly a long endeavor, but it’s one that takes time to get to know its characters and to bring a compelling and startling story to life. Lily Gladstone is terrific, as are many members of the ensemble, and the production values are excellent as always.
GRADE: B+

Sara Clements
Scorsese is a master and Killers of the Flower Moon is a masterwork – one of his best. I’m in awe of it and also conflicted by it. It has me grappling with many emotions. His passion, his heart is clear but his voice creates silence, unintentionally speaking to complicity. But it’s never not powerful, profound and shattering. It was destined for important conversations – and hopefully will have Hollywood of tomorrow realizing who should get the last word.
GRADE: A-

Monica Gleberman
Killers of the Flower Moon, directed by Martin Scorsese, is an ambitious film, that sets out to explore the very best and worst decisions made by humans. It’s based on a non-fiction book about the 1920s Osage County murders. It’s heartbreaking, eye-opening, tragic, disturbing, brutal — and most importantly honest. It’s an unforgettable film with stand-out performances from Lily Gladstone, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Robert De Niro whose characters are all pushed to their breaking points. This one will stay with you just as Scorsese intended.
GRADE: A

Shadan Larki
Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon is an epic in every sense. The three-and-a-half-hour runtime flies by and feels earned. Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert DeNiro are fantastic, but it’s Lily Gladstone who runs away with the film and infuses it with so much warmth. The ending is stunning.“Masterpiece” is thrown around too often, but Killers of the Flower Moon has more than earned the title.
GRADE: A+

Lupe Rodriguez Haas
Based on the true story of the 1920s Osage Tribe Murders, Martin Scorsese’s KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON depicts the story from the villain’s point of view (played by Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert DeNiro) rather than from the victim’s perspective. Scorsese delivers a cinematic juggernaut, but the filmmaker’s choices are somewhat baffling. The three-hour and 26-minute run time is felt, but the escalating events’ intensity increases the tension.
GRADE: B+

Kolby Mac
However emotionally conflicted I am on Killers Of The Flower Moon, its sincerity is undeniable! Scorsese’s American Horror Story depicts the systematic dismantling of a people and their culture through his continued wizardry in direction, anchored by incredible performances, yet, this cinematic test of endurance left me wanting more.
GRADE: B