Oscar nominated 'Killers of the Flower Moon' combines western drama and a true crime story

A haunting scene early on in Martin Scorsese's "Killers of the Flower Moon" shows the silhouettes of men working in an ominous reddish void, resembling tortured souls in hell. If you’ve seen it, you probably know that it's an unsettling image that sets the stage for the disturbing true events unraveling in the film. Adapted from David Grann's non-fiction book, the movie brings to life a sinister period of violence and greed targeting the Osage Nation in the 1920s.

On the surface, a period Western drama about the Osage Murders may seem like unfamiliar territory for Scorsese, known best for his gritty films about organized crime in New York City. However, he has proven himself a versatile director, transporting audiences to different eras and locations while retaining his signature style. Here, he tackles a tragic chapter from Oklahoma's history with the utmost care and emotional acuity.

Over his decades-long career, Scorsese has acted as an advocate for preserving the art of filmmaking. While his background lies in capturing urban streets and mobsters, he continually finds new ways to breathe new life into established genres. In "Killers of the Flower Moon," he honors the Western by using its framework to shed light on a disturbing historical miscarriage of justice. Throughout "Killers of the Flower Moon," Scorsese demonstrates there are many effective ways to tell meaningful stories. The film revisits a dark chapter of American history centered on the Osage Reservation in northern Oklahoma in the 1920s, focused on real crimes, including the murders of several dozen tribal members over the course of the decade. Some victims were shot, others blown up, and others believed to have been systematically poisoned.

Co-writing the screenplay with Eric Roth, Scorsese brings both sweeping scope and intimate character portraits to the material. It's a grand-scaled epic with expansive visuals and movement befitting its subject. Yet the director just as frequently shifts to enclosed, shadowy interiors that mirror the obscured motives and dangers within. Leonardo DiCaprio stars as Ernest Burkhart, who arrives by train in Fairfax and is instantly overwhelmed by the chaotic energy of strangers around the crowded platform. As a war veteran cast adrift in the crowd, Ernest appears both energized and understandably bewildered by his unfamiliar surroundings. Through DiCaprio's grounded performance and Scorsese's deft balancing of scales - expansive when conveying the period's open frontier yet intimate when exposing its shadows. It serves both as a tribute to lives lost and a reminder of the ongoing quest for justice.

Leonardo DiCaprio and Lily Gladstone showcase Ernest and Mollie's relationship with naturalism, developed so authentically between the two actors. It quickly becomes the emotional anchor of the story. At 48 years old, DiCaprio portrays Ernest around twice the age of his real-life counterpart. Age has lent DiCaprio's face a greater sensitivity and expressiveness on screen.

Not to mention, Lily Gladstone earned an historic Oscar nomination for her leading performance in "Killers of the Flower Moon." The 37-year-old actress scored her first Academy Award nomination in the Best Actress category for her sensitive portrayal of Mollie Burkhart. What’s more, her milestone nomination marks her as the first Native American woman to be recognized in the Best Actress field. 

While Indigenous actresses such as Keisha Castle-Hughes for "Whale Rider" and Yalitza Aparicio for "Roma" have previously received Oscar attention, Gladstone now becomes the first from the United States to achieve this honor. Her nomination highlights the film's focus on accurately representing the Osage people at the center of the infamous murder mystery.