This article containsKillers of the Flower Moonspoilers.

Yet Ive struggled to use the word masterpiece while writing about the film, either hereor in my review.

On a certain level,Killers of the Flower Moonis their successor.

Lily Gladstone in Killers of the Flower Moon

However, this realization also belies the films one great weakness: It really wasnt their story to tell.

It was Mollie Burkharts, who is played luminously by Lily Gladstone in the film.

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I was nervous about the release of the film, Cote said.

Now that Ive seen it, I have some strong opinions.

But when somebody conspires to murder your entire family, thats not love.

Thats just beyond abuse.

But thats becauseKillers of the Flower Moondoesnt really have one.

To be clear, Gladstone is remarkable in the film.

It also doesnt matter given what Ernest did.

But the film avoids the question altogether, preferring instead to focus on Gladstone in the courtship scenes.

I had meetings with the Osage, and I thought, Well, theres the story.

By choosing to abort the FBI procedural framing, Scorsese and DiCaprio even lost Paramount Pictures as a backer.

Scorsese and DiCaprios impulse was a wise one, and made for a better film.

For much ofKillers runtime, the narrative is shared between DiCaprio and Gladstone, as well as De Niro.

However, the entire first section of the book is from the narrow point-of-view of Mollie Burkhart.

The truth is we do not know what lies in the hearts of men.

He was likely a man wracked with regrets and shame.

Mollie is the closest thingKillers of the Flower Moonhas to a hero.

Its the last act of desperation to get the white government to do something about the murders.

Instead its often a picture about the evil men do to each other and their own souls.