If you are even a little but into cinema, you probably know what a force of nature Martin Scorsese is. The 9 time Oscar nominated director has directed 25 full-length films, most of which are some of the highest rated and most critically acclaimed films of all time. So, its no wonder fans impatiently wait for his new ventures and after 2019’s The Irishman, he is coming back to the big screen with Killers of the Flower Moon. It is a western crime film featuring Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert Di Niro who’ll be seen together for the first time since 1993’s This Boy’s Life. Both these legendary actors frequently collaborate with Scorsese as De Niro has collaborated with him 10 times previously and DiCaprio having done so 6 times previously. But this is the first time all three of them have collaborated and fans are already going nuts about it! For them, we have some incredible information.
Killers of the Flower Moon Full Plot Summary and Recap
The film is being hailed as another masterpiece from Scorsese and is currently rated 92% on Rotten Tomatoes from 295 reviews as well as an audience score of 85%, and 8.2/10 on IMDB. If you are a fan in US, then you’ve probably already seen the film however, unfortunately, the film hasn’t released in many parts of the globe as of yet. For such fans who just can’t wait anymore and want to know if the plot is worth it, we have the full plot summary and recap for the film. Please beware, as major spoilers follow below.
In a prologue, Osage elders conduct a somber ceremony, in which they bury a ceremonial pipe, mourning that their descendants will be assimilated out of their culture. In 1918, Ernest Burkhart returns from World War I to his uncle William King Hale, a prominent businessman and reserve deputy sheriff, and his brother Byron, around Gray Horse in the Native American Osage Nation, Oklahoma. The Osage have become very wealthy after discovery of oil on their lands, where the beautiful “flower moon” floral growth occurs around May, but laws require white “guardians” to manage their wealth. Ernest works as a cab driver, and gives Mollie, an Osage woman from a wealthy family, a ride. A romance develops, and they eventually marry.
However, there have been many murders in Osage country, by whites interested in exploiting the Osages’ new wealth. Many funerals occur, often mixing Catholic and Osage ceremonies. Both Hale and Ernest themselves are interested in exploiting the Osage, despite Hale’s posing as a benevolent “King” who loves the Osage people and speaks their language. Hale mentions to Ernest that he may inherit more money if fewer of Mollie’s sisters are left alive. Mollie’s sister Anna Brown, a rambunctious character who carries a gun in her purse, is murdered. Another sister, Minnie, dies, supposedly of a wasting disease. Lizzie Q, Mollie’s mother, watches the tragedy with horror at the disaster whites have brought her people.
An Osage council echoes her sentiments and discusses fighting back. Moreover, footage of the Tulsa race massacre is shown. More murders occur, including that of Henry Roan, an Osage and Mollie’s first husband; and that of Bill Smith and his wife Reta, Mollie’s last remaining sister, when their house is blown up. The Osage send someone to Washington D.C. for help, but he is murdered; Mollie hires a detective, but he is beaten up, with Ernest as one of the thugs, and disappears. Lizzie dies in bed, during a spiritual vision of meeting her ancestors. Meanwhile, Ernest has been poisoning Mollie, a diabetic, by adding another drug to her insulin, under instructions from Hale to “slow her down”. Mollie, though ill, travels to Washington D.C. and asks President Calvin Coolidge for help.
The Bureau of Investigation send out Agent Tom White and assistants to investigate. Hale tries to cover his tracks by murdering several of his own hired killers, but White ferrets out the truth and arrests him and Ernest. The agents find Mollie desperately ill and get her the medical care she needs. W. S. Hamilton, Hale’s attorney, plies Ernest to say he was tortured and won’t testify, but the death of one of Ernest and Mollie’s three children from whooping cough breaks Ernest into testifying. Hale tries to have Ernest killed but fails. Mollie meets with Ernest one last time, but leaves unceremoniously when Ernest lies that he did not poison her. Years later, the aftermath is told through a radio show produced by the FBI and Lucky Strike filled with stereotypical portrayals.
The Shoun brothers, quack doctors who assisted crimes against the Osage, were not arrested due to lack of evidence. Ernest received a life sentence, as did Hale; Ernest was paroled, but Byron turned state’s evidence and avoided jail. The brothers lived out the rest of their lives in a trailer park. Hale is released on good behavior, despite the Osage’s protests. The radio show’s producer reads Mollie’s obituary, revealing Mollie divorced Ernest and died at the age of 50 in 1937 due to diabetes and was buried with her family; the producer notes the obituary omits any mention of the murders. The film closes in the present day, where the Osage have a large celebratory ceremony, with their culture still alive.
Killers of the Flower Moon is now in theatres in US and will release in India and other regions on 27th October.
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