video review : Killers Of The Flower Moon

video review : Killers Of The Flower Moon

Martin Scorsese’s Killers Of The Flower Moon is, coming after The Irishman, somewhat of a disappointment. There is suspense, at least for those unfamiliar with David Grann’s book about The Osage Murders, but it comes scantily as is often the case with stories based on real-life events. The acting, led by Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro, is generally superb, along with the cinematography. It’s the convoluted plot that could use a shot in the belly.

Headrights money is an underlining theme here, but if you’re not paying attention, you could easily get lost on the reservation. Plot-turning revelations happen in a flash. It’s hard, for example, to keep count of how many people are Killed with little fanfare. This is, in that sense, another Scorsese gangster flick. Being set in mostly 1920s Oklahoma; a time and place where a homely pie-faced Lily Gladstone could pass as “beautiful”; is what distinguishes it.

my rating : 3 of 5

2023

video review : The Hunt

video review : The Hunt

The climax reminds me of the fight sequence at Vernita’s house in Kill Bill, but lack of innovative isn’t the problem here. It’s the silliness of the plot. The Hunt, which has a handful of people engaged in a sort of political civil war, goes for comedy; my least favorite movie genre; instead of taking itself seriously.

There’s plenty of violence and gore, and those are the most entertaining parts, but it’s mostly cartoonish; an eyeball stuck on the heel of a shoe. Neither is there anything particularly clever about the overarching satire, which, for what it’s worth, aims at both (conservative) “deplorables” and (liberal) “cucks”.

my rating : 3 of 5

2020