Brutal Murders and "Killers of the Flower Moon" Part two.

 We were speaking of Scorsese’s film. The first three quarters are difficult to follow—I told you Dear Reader, that this is an intricate tale. Yet, I believe he did his best. The film comes together in the final hour, with the arrival of the BOI guys (that's the "bureau of investigation," i.e. future g-men). With undercover agents and flat-out intimidation, these men are able to unravel a nasty story, involving William Hale (played with a galling, banal, evil by Robert Deniro), and his nephews (Leonardo DiCaprio plays one of them, Ernest Burkhart, a simpleton who becomes a willing participant in Hales’ schemes. His performance is pretty solid, but to my mind he used too many physical affectations when he didn’t need them. You judge, Dear Reader, and let me know what you think. I do have to point out that DiCaprio most likely used Marlon Brando’s trick of padding his mouth with something).

Lily Gladstone, who plays Molly Burkhart, does well as Ernest’s diabetic Osage wife. But, her performance, while powerful, lacked something. Perhaps she needed a part two.  For some reason, this film just didn’t adequately capture the horrific complexity of the story. But, what do I know—I’m not a filmmaker.

The film primarily deals with the deaths in Molly's circle, neglecting to do more than touch upon the dozens of others who were murdered for their mineral rights.  That doesn't seem at all fair to me, but when you're dealing with more than 60 murders, sometimes you have to distill the horror.  Something of the gruesome reality of life for the Osage in Oklahoma is still preserved in the film, including husbands murdering wives by slow poison, and blowing up people's houses with dynamite....

No, I'm not kidding, or insane, or orbiting planet Krypton.  No elegant Agatha Christie-style murders (like Atropine poisoning through eye drops) for these morons.  Let's just shoot them in the head and leave 'em on the side of the road, or subtly blow up their house with gallons of gas and dynamite.  SICKOS.

 The casual way in which the film depicts the murders, is well done, bu not enough time is spent on it.  As I said, the story was just too messy to hammer into a timeline.

What I can tell you, is that most of the mineral rights held by the Osage, ended up in the hands of whites:  white businesses, white churches, etc.  Sigh.  It's all so goddamned familiar.

I’m not going to tell you the film's ending--who died, who was incarcerated, or who was blown up in a freak laundry room accident (jk), but I can tell you that it was 'summed up'  in a REALLY weird way, with a fantastic 30's style radio broadcast.  

Yeah, I'm still trying to figure that one out.  No success so far.

I can also tell you that there was 'some justice,' but not nearly enough  Yet, perhaps the fact that this movie has been made is something to be grateful for--at least the story is finally being told in a medium that will reach millions, and hopefully become part of our American collective memory.  One can only hope.  Such things will happen again, it's inevitable, but we can do our part (as I mentioned previously), and honor the dead.  

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I don’t want you to think, dear reader, that I bemoan our nation’s past. We are very young, and like other societies we have had our extraordinarily dark moments. When you’re an historian, you have to look at the totality. Sometimes that’s the hardest thing to do.  Yet, I continue to hope, that we will blunder our way toward a better world, making responsible, humane decisions when it comes to this nations’ conduct all of our citizens, regardless of what they believe, or the color of their skin. After all, aren’t we or shouldn’t we be humans together? Is it possible for us to let each person make their own choice, as long as they don't do it with a machine gun or a bomb?  

It is in the hope of these things that I'll leave you--with this scene from the film "Amistad." For me, it shows that even with our guilty, bloody secrets 'we are who we were'---a country of basically decent, if flawed, human beings.  In spite of the horrors we continue to perpetrate on one another, I'll take the flaws every time.  What is it they say--strength through adversity? Well, what is life, if not that?  

It's Christmastide.  I say, let's try to have a little faith that we all have room to progress towards something better.