The story is set in the 1920s America, in the town of Fairfax, in the south-west state of Oklahoma. A land that belongs to the Red Indian tribe, referred to as the Osage. A chance discovery of oil makes the whole community rich overnight, creating wealth for generations. As landowners of this land with black gold, with ample money and time at hand, the Osages create a large consumption market of all kinds of goods and services and addictions, which apart from happiness and pleasure, also brings with it physical and mental ailments, and a whole ecosystem of white men (and women) with jobs to serve, collaborate, partner and take advantage of. Against this back drop, the film tells the specific story of the abhorring mastermind plan of William Hale (De Niro). Of gradually eradicating the Osages and acquiring their land inheritance, either through marrying and then eliminating their women, or with plain old cold blooded killing, when needed. All this while publicly playing the perfect charade of a partner-leader-compatriot of the Osages. Against this deep-seated conspiracy, arrives Ernest Burkhart (DiCaprio), nephew of William Hale, returning from World War I duty, quickly becoming a pawn in his uncle’s vicious and silent genocide. Marrying the available and future land inheritor Mollie (Lilly Gladstone), Ernest, along with his uncle and brother Byron accelerate the plan of eliminating the relevant Osages one by one, in cold and cruel ways, while on the surface always displaying love and affection. Taking undue advantage of the land where the US Federal law doesn’t apply (the Indian law applies), the vile deceit and quiet bloodshed continues unabated, till Mollie, after losing all her sisters and mother, and despite being quietly poisoned by her husband, makes a trip to Washington DC, asking for help from the federal government. The FBI (the 1920s version of it), finally arrives, unravelling the crime and eventually putting an end to it, but not until multiple Osage families are wiped off forever.
Scorcese is clearly on a mission with this film. The primary motive of the film is not to entertain like The Departed, even though the cinematography, the background score, and the performances move us, just like a classic piece of entertainment would. The purpose of the film is not to enthral like Shutter Island, even though the deploring murders of the Osage tribe has got us hooked on, to know happens next like a good thriller. The intention is not to tell the story of a person, time and place like The Wolf of Wall Street, even though the film brings alive an important and forgotten time and people and place in American history, immediately after the first World War.
Scorcese’s mission in this film is much larger, much grander and more important in current times. His mission is to remind us of seeking a complete and an objective view of history. He wants us not to blindly accept the understanding that has been handed down to us from generations, without being questioned. He doesn’t want us to forget the uncomfortable and potentially horrible truths of our ancestors, just because we don’t want to face them. He doesn’t want our understanding of history only to be what we’ve read in our school history books, which have been carefully written by the makers of today. He wants us to seek more, ask more, find more from our history. Because as he has said often, we can’t define where we are going, till we know where we’ve been. Our history, no matter how ugly it may be, has led to where we are today. And only if we deeply empathise with our own histories, will we not repeat the same mistakes, and build towards a better future. By showing a mirror to our past, Scorcese hopes to open a window into our future.
The specific story of the Osage murders is thoroughly engrossing and heart-breaking at the same time. The innocence of this Indian tribe, being easily manipulated by the vicious white man, evokes the same anger that Mollie feels. We helplessly watch the brutal killing of the Osage people, without any retribution to the culprits. This glimpse of a blatantly imperial and an inherently racist mindset of its time is a shocking realisation of what humans are capable of. And reminds us perhaps, why in 2024, we still see hate-crimes, wars and imperialism and racism, alive and kicking all around us. And in this, is Scorcese’s biggest achievement.
A big stand out of the film is (no suprise) Leonardo Di Caprio and his portrayal of the complex character that Ernest Burkhart is. While genuinely in love with Mollie, he still can’t help following his uncle’s evil plot of poisoning her. Ernest is a good looking, confident, war veteran who wants to have a good life with a woman he loves. And yet he is inherently a man of weak character, easily bullied and manipulated by people around him, especially his uncle, doing things that he doesn’t even believe in. Only Di Caprio could have delivered this character to Scorcese’s vision. It’s a delight as always to see his performance. And once again, we walk out impressed with this sheer talent.
Lily Gladstone as the under-stated, afflicted, diseased and victimised Mollie is brilliantly impactful. Her subtle emotions hit the mark with the audience every time. We feel her every heart beat, her frustration, her anger, and her desperate love for the husband who is killing her, and till the very end wanting to not believe it.
DeNiro is brilliant as always, but throughout the film, he is a little too DeNiro, which at times, takes away from the character he plays.
For all Scorcese fans, all the classic experience of his film is there. And it hits the sport perfectly. The art, the setting, the music, the largeness, the mood, the engrossing storytelling, the complete immersion of the brain for the entire time, and the impact. I only wish i had seen it on the big screen.
Scorcese’s vision, DeNiro and Caprio in the lead and Lily Gladstone’s stellar additional act, what’s not to like! But only watch it when you have a dedicated three and half hours. Anything less, and you will miss it.
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