Martin Scorsese once again rips the bandage off the ugly, racist, greedy underside of American history in a meticulously detailed, but slow-moving film. It is based on the true story of multiple murders in 1920’s Oklahoma when the Osage Nation discovered oil on their land and instantly became the richest people on Earth. Of course this begins the scheming by their White neighbors to figure out how to steal their land and wealth. Scorsese wrote the screenplay with Eric Roth, based on the book by David Grann.
This is the first time time Scorsese, Robert De Niro, and Leo DiCaprio have all worked together. The director has worked with De Niro and DiCaprio separately 16 times, and it’s been 30 years since De Niro and DiCaprio acted together in This Boy’s Life.
Scorsese cast newcomer Lily Gladstone (Unknown Country), as the serenely beautiful, and rich Osage woman, Mollie, whose mother, and sisters own land bursting with oil. All three lead actors learned to speak Osage for the film which Gladstone, who was raised on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, admits was no easy chore. She and DiCaprio play well off each other in Osage or English as they become a couple.
William Hale (De Niro) is a big whig in the town and uncle to Ernest Burkhardt (DiCaprio) who plays an easy to manipulate Army veteran who just returned from WWI. Scorsese gives Hale the veneer of a caring, sympathetic ally to the Osage, all while he unabashedly plots their demise. We never have any doubt about Hale’s villainy as De Niro puts in another bravura performance.
Scorcese makes DiCaprio’s Burkhart somewhat more nuanced, although both he and De Niro wear scowling frowns throughout the movie, which becomes a little annoying. Ernest is kind of a dullard who seems somewhat confused at times. He’s easily led or misled by his conniving uncle who encourages him to marry Mollie. William Hale devised the plot to get Ernest and Mollie to wed, then systematically murder the family until all that wealth flowed back to Ernest…and himself.
The scenes with Ernest and Molly show that he really loves his wife, but is really more devoted to his first love, money. Mollie has diabetes and when she gets sick, the doctors give her insulin. She is one of the first patients to receive the medication because she can afford it. You see Ernest giving her the injections but she gets progressively worse. Does Ernest know what’s really in those meds?
One by one, Mollie’s family members are targeted and brutally murdered until Mollie is the last one left. In reality, as shown in the movie, scores of Osage women were being killed which came to the attention of the newly formed FBI. Federal agent Tom White (Jesse Clemons) shows up to investigate. Keeping which characters did what to whom is sometimes hard to follow, especially with the number of thugs and low-lifes Hale and Burkhart employ to carry out their dirty work.
Scorsese has been criticized for the length of the film. But he takes exception to those who think the 3 and a half hour film is too long because viewers easily binge watch episodic TV without thinking twice. But frankly, those can be watched taking breaks at your own pace.
Scorsese pays close attention to minute details in all most every scene. Keep an eye on Ernest’s teeth. And he added first time actors from the Osage tribe to the cast, many of whom brought clothes their grandparents wore in the 1920’s for added authenticity to the indigenous costuming.
The eery score by the late long-time Scorsese collaborator Robbie Robertson, superb editing by 3-time Oscar winning Thelma Schoonmaker, and cinematography by Rodrigo Prieto keep your attention even though the film moves at a glacial pace. It gets a little exhausting watching 3 and a half hours of repetitive plots and crimes laboriously unraveling these lethal schemes. Still, with De Niro, Di Caprio and Gladstone, Scorsese has created a killer film.
Paramount and Apple Studios 3 hours 26 minutes R
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