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Killers of the Flower Moon (2023)
Killers of the Flower Moon is a 2023 American epic crime drama film directed by Martin Scorsese, who co-wrote the screenplay with Eric Roth, based on the 2017 nonfiction book. It stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Lily Gladstone, Jesse Plemons, Tantoo Cardinal, John Lithgow, and Brendan Fraser. Set in 1920s Oklahoma, it focuses on a series of murders of Osage members and relations in the Osage Nation after…
Directed by Martin Scorsese · Shot by Rodrigo Prieto · Cut by Thelma Schoonmaker · Music by Robbie Robertson · Ratio 2.39:1 · 206 min
How it was made
- The initial script, close to 200 pages, followed the perspective of Bureau of Investigation agent Tom White, with DiCaprio originally cast in that role.
- After DiCaprio asked Scorsese where the heart of the story lay, and following meetings with Osage community members, the script was overhauled to centre on Ernest Burkhart and Mollie Kyle's marriage, with DiCaprio moving to play Ernest and Jesse Plemons taking over as White.
- Cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto shot most of the film on film stock, switching to a Technicolor process called ENR for scenes near the climax to heighten contrast and reduce colour saturation.
- Production designer Jack Fisk joined the film, his first collaboration with Scorsese, overseeing more than 50 filming locations in Osage County, Oklahoma, combining existing structures with built sets.
- Robert De Niro suffered a quadriceps injury on May 13, 2021, but production stayed on schedule by shooting his remaining scenes in June.
- Robbie Robertson composed the score, drawing on his own Cayuga and Mohawk ancestry; it was his final completed film score before his death in August 2023.
Behind the scenes
Elsewhere
More by Martin Scorsese
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