Killers of the Flower Moon Thoughts
Oct 29, 2023 15:30:48 GMT -5
lucas_lee and Malibu Albino like this
Post by "The Natural" Bustin Loads on Oct 29, 2023 15:30:48 GMT -5
Saw it last night and it's a masterpiece. The themes of cultural erasure and corruption can't escape me.
It methodically shows step-by-step the way evil operates while retaining such rich characters and scope. Many films have made me sad, but they never make me feel inescapable rage. Killers did. Hits extra hard as a Mexican who over the last decade is learning just how far - and intentionally - removed he is from his indigenous roots due to colonialism and capitalism.
Much is said about Scorsese juxtaposing humor with violence to make the latter palpable. He did not invent this. But he is the best practitioner and manipulator of it in film. It's on another level here because the tragedies are countless. Each is given character depth and set-up, and the humor is in how nakedly empty the perpetrators are in their methods, lack of empathy, and justification.
The key is it's not joyless. There are so many beautiful moments of tenderness, romance and love. The performances are incredible. Lily Gladstone's portrayal of Molly is among the most graceful (and beautiful) in cinema history. She glows. DeNiro and DiCaprio are stellar, the latter IMO has his best outing.
As far as the length; I can't think of anything I would've cut. A film made with this much care, vision, and humanity is a work of art. Get up and take a piss if you need to. Some did and still came back to react in ways I haven't heard in a while. There are films half the length of this that don't put as much thought or presence into their main character as Killers does on its 30th. Getting this and The Irishman in the last five years makes me so sad that Marty won't be around much longer. This feels easy for him now and it shows.
On only the first watch it's my second favorite movie of his, only behind Goodfellas. That I can see it moving up is incredible.
It methodically shows step-by-step the way evil operates while retaining such rich characters and scope. Many films have made me sad, but they never make me feel inescapable rage. Killers did. Hits extra hard as a Mexican who over the last decade is learning just how far - and intentionally - removed he is from his indigenous roots due to colonialism and capitalism.
Much is said about Scorsese juxtaposing humor with violence to make the latter palpable. He did not invent this. But he is the best practitioner and manipulator of it in film. It's on another level here because the tragedies are countless. Each is given character depth and set-up, and the humor is in how nakedly empty the perpetrators are in their methods, lack of empathy, and justification.
The key is it's not joyless. There are so many beautiful moments of tenderness, romance and love. The performances are incredible. Lily Gladstone's portrayal of Molly is among the most graceful (and beautiful) in cinema history. She glows. DeNiro and DiCaprio are stellar, the latter IMO has his best outing.
As far as the length; I can't think of anything I would've cut. A film made with this much care, vision, and humanity is a work of art. Get up and take a piss if you need to. Some did and still came back to react in ways I haven't heard in a while. There are films half the length of this that don't put as much thought or presence into their main character as Killers does on its 30th. Getting this and The Irishman in the last five years makes me so sad that Marty won't be around much longer. This feels easy for him now and it shows.
On only the first watch it's my second favorite movie of his, only behind Goodfellas. That I can see it moving up is incredible.
