Killers of the Flower Moon
Movie, 2023, The 2020s, Set in Osage County, 1920s
Killers of the Flower Moon is #26 of 26 in release order and #26 of 26 in chronological order in the Martin Scorsese.
The story
When oil is discovered in 1920s Oklahoma under Osage Nation land, the Osage people are murdered one by one—until the FBI steps in to unravel the mystery.
Killers of the Flower Moon recap
Killers of the Flower Moon (2023) follows Ernest Burkhart, who marries an Osage woman in 1920s Oklahoma while helping his uncle kill her family for oil money. Martin Scorsese directs and co-wrote it with Eric Roth from David Grann's 2017 nonfiction book. Leonardo DiCaprio plays Ernest, Robert De Niro plays his uncle William King Hale, a rancher who poses as the Osage's friend, and Lily Gladstone plays Mollie Kyle, an Osage woman whose family holds oil headrights. Oil on the reservation has made the Osage rich, though white guardians control much of their money. Ernest, back from the war, courts Mollie and marries her. Hale explains that the more of her family dies, the more Ernest stands to inherit. Mollie's sisters die one by one; her first husband is shot; her sister Reta's house is blown up. Mollie, diabetic, gets sicker as Ernest gives her poisoned insulin. Jesse Plemons plays Tom White, a federal agent who arrives to investigate. It is the latest film in this list, following The Irishman, and his tenth with De Niro.
Killers of the Flower Moon ending explained
Killers of the Flower Moon ends with Hale and Ernest convicted. Ernest testifies against his uncle after his daughter dies, but when Mollie asks what he put in her insulin, he will not admit it, and she leaves him. The epilogue is staged as a radio show, with Scorsese himself reading Mollie's obituary, which does not mention the murders. It notes that Hale and Ernest were paroled despite Osage protests. The film moves the focus from Grann's book, which centers on the FBI investigation, to Ernest and Mollie.
Post-credits scenes
No. Killers of the Flower Moon has no mid- or post-credits scene.
Where to watch Killers of the Flower Moon
Killers of the Flower Moon is streaming on Apple TV in the US. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 7.5/10, Rotten Tomatoes 93%
Where it fits
- Release order: after The Irishman, the latest.
- Chronological order: after The Irishman, the last.
Cast
- Leonardo DiCaprio as Ernest Burkhart
- Robert De Niro as William Hale
- Lily Gladstone as Mollie Burkhart
- Jesse Plemons as Tom White
- Tantoo Cardinal as Lizzie Q
- John Lithgow as Prosecutor Peter Leaward
- Brendan Fraser as W.S. Hamilton
- Cara Jade Myers as Anna
- JaNae Collins as Reta
- Jillian Dion as Minnie
- Jason Isbell as Bill Smith
- William Belleau as Henry Roan
Directed by Martin Scorsese.