‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ hits theaters: What audiences are saying about the film

Warning: This post contains light spoilers for “Killers of the Flower Moon.”

Over the weekend, movie lovers and history buffs across the country traveled to theaters to watch Martin Scorsese’s epic crime drama “Killers of the Flower Moon,” a film that follows the true story of a series of murders in the Osage Nation.

The movie, which is an adaptation of journalist David Grann’s book of the same name, landed at No. 2 (behind Taylor Swift's "Eras Tour" concert film) at the North American box office, bringing in $23 million, Variety reported Oct. 22. “Killers of the Flower Moon” also collected $21 million overseas, for a global total of $44 million.

In the crime drama, an Osage woman named Mollie Burkhart, portrayed by Lily Gladstone, discovers her close relatives are being killed for the rights to the oil found on their reservation in the 1920s.

After watching moving performances from Gladstone and co-stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro and Jesse Plemons, fans and members of the Osage Nation shared their strong reactions to Scorsese’s adaptation — without spoiling the ending.

“The conclusion of Killers of the Flower Moon is one of the most astounding sequences in Scorsese’s entire career,” one person wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Although Scorsese has already cemented his legacy as one of the most esteemed directors in Hollywood, fans were particularly impressed by his handling of the Osage Nation’s story.

“Killers of the flower moon is a scorsese movie stripped to the bone. familiar in form, but actually lifts the veil off what usually makes his previous entries so enticing in nature. this forces you to reckon with the american dream, laid bare with all its corrupt ingloriousness,” one social media user said in their review.

Many highlighted Gladstone’s performance and her ability to capture Mollie’s emotions.

“Can’t stop thinking about how quietly devastating and astounding lily gladstone’s performance in killers of the flower moon feels,” another tweeted. “What she’s able to convey through facial expressions (sadness, longing, and anger) often times all at once simply feels monumental at times.”

Others complimented the supporting cast, like Cara Jade Myers, who portrayed Mollie’s sister Anna.

“More people should be discussing Cara Jade Myers,” one X user said, applauding her “firecracker” performance.

“She’s intense yet somehow grounded and injects a ball of energy into all of her scenes. Exhilarating and heartbreaking,” they added.

Some discussed the movie’s runtime, which clocks in at nearly three and a half hours.

“Killers of the Flower Moon definitely feels 3hrs long, but thats one of its greatest strengths. you want to be out of the crime and the awful aura, and when you finally do it’s barely a release. so good,” one person praised.

Another joked, “Going to see “Killers of The Flower Moon” — anyone wanna sublet my apt while I’m gone?”

One fan pointed out that the 206-minute movie doesn’t rely on twists to hold viewers’ attention.

“Scorsese lays everything out in front of you to the point where, by the 1.5 hour mark, nothing surprises you anymore,” one person noted. “The evil is just expected.”

But some called out the lack of suspense, with one person criticizing it as “derivative, mundane” storytelling.

Leading up to the release of “Killers of the Flower Moon” on Oct. 20, Osage Nation members spoke out about the film’s depiction of their community and the horrific moment in American history.

Gianna Sieke, who was an Osage Nation princess from 2021 to 2023 and was on set during filming, told TODAY.com at the premiere in Los Angeles that the movie “does tell our dark history but it’s also including things that no one really knows, and it hasn’t been expressed to Osage people and anyone because it’s a dark history.”

She added, “People don’t really talk about it that much. And because of that, (the movie) has made a really big impact. Families are learning to cope and understand.”

Christopher Cote worked on the movie as an Osage language consultant and also shared his thoughts on the final cut when speaking with The Hollywood Reporter on the red carpet.

“As an Osage, I really wanted this to be from the perspective of Mollie and what her family experienced, but I think it would take an Osage to do that,” he said. “Martin Scorsese, not being Osage, I think he did a great job representing our people.”

However, he noted that the story is mostly told from the perspective of DiCaprio’s character Ernest Burkhart, giving the historical figure a conscience and suggesting he loved Mollie.

“But when somebody conspires to murder your entire family, that’s not love. That’s not love, that’s just beyond abuse,” Cote said.

He concluded, “For those that have been disenfranchised, they can relate, but for other countries that have their acts and their history of oppression, this is an opportunity for them to ask themselves this question of morality, and that’s how I feel about this film.”

As for Scorsese, he is content now that the movie is finally being shown on the big screen.

He shared a photo of him directing Gladstone and DiCaprio on Instagram Oct. 21 and said, “I put everything I had into Killers of the Flower Moon, and I was blessed to work with so many remarkable people at every stage. It took a long time to bring it to the screen.”

At the end of his caption, the filmmaker wrote, “Now I just want people to see it, to absorb it, to be with it.”

This article was originally published on TODAY.com