Killers of the Flower Moon (2023) is an obituary that outstays its welcome

Some stories need to be told by the right people. Watching Killers of the Flower Moon, I kept wondering who the hell I was supposed to care about. The story follows DiCaprio's deplorable simple man as he robs, cheats, and murders his way through his wife's family, but in the end the directory points to it being her story. The tale of her people giving her no real agency.

     It's the end of the wild west and the Osage people of Oklahoma have oil. This brings white people, some who pretend or tell themselves they are there to help like De Niro's King while they all take and take and take. You know, America. We follow DiCaprio's Ernest as he marries Mollie and kills most of her family to inherit all that oil money at the direction of King. Just people here, mostly bad.

     I've heard it called "epic," but the passage of time is false. Scorsese can still put together a shot and direct the hell out of talented actors, but this tale is only epic in the run time, often stopping to gaze longingly at its navel. No great change or events happen as the narrative slowly replaces Osage natives with the federal inspectors looking into Osage murders. It only partially addresses the fault in or need for the story. It's a historical shrug.

     It's good. Damn good at times. An obituary for Mollie, her people, when she is featured. I did not like it.