Martin Scorsese's "Killers of the Flower Moon” explores the “Reign of Terror,” a dark period in 1920’s Oklahoma when white cattle rancher William Hale orchestrated the murders of Osage tribe members to take land rich with oil.
Hollywood has a long history of misrepresenting Native Americans in film, and Osages were skeptical that Scorsese could do any differently. In July 2019, the famed director met with Osage Nation Principal Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear to discuss the tribe’s involvement in the film. The following October, he addressed more than 150 Osage tribe members who worried about how their ancestors and culture would be portrayed.
Democrat's January 27, 1926, edition shows Osage murder victims Henry Roan (left), Rita Smith and William W. Vaughan.
“My heart is in the right place,” Scorsese told them. “We won’t be finished with it until it’s right, I can promise you that.”
But did he deliver on his pledge? Among the “Reign of Terror” victims was Henry Roan, shot dead in early 1923. His great grandson, former Osage Chief Jim Gray, attended the meeting with Scorsese.
“When I had the chance to speak, I told him that the culture and language, traditions of the tribe, all these things that make us who we are today are not in the FBI files, and you're not going to find them in the book [of the same name by David Grann]. You'll find them in this room,” Gray told VOA. “We got the benefit of his willingness to listen and incorporate much of what he heard.”
‘Evil white characters’
Grann’s 2017 book reads like a detective novel, but after hearing from the Osage, Scorsese rewrote the script around Ernest Burkhart — nephew of the rancher Hale, ruthless mastermind behind the Osage murders — who married into an Osage family and eventually attempted to poison his wife, Mollie.
"The heart of the entire situation is love, the trust that goes with love, and then this extraordinary betrayal,” Scorsese told CBS News.
Christopher Cote, who served as the film’s language consultant, was unconvinced, telling reporters, “when somebody conspires to murder your entire family, that’s not love.”
At the film’s premiere, Osage language consultant Christopher Cote shares his complicated feelings about #KillersOfTheFlowerMoon pic.twitter.com/DKR0KcsLTs
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) October 17, 2023
George “Tink” Tinker, professor emeritus at the Iliff School of Theology in Denver, and a citizen of the Osage Nation, laughed before giving his opinion of the film.
“He did the best job any white man in this day and age could have done,” Tinker said. “Is it a movie about the Osages? No. It’s about two evil white characters who were busy murdering Osages.”
Hale is played by Robert DeNiro, while Burkhart is played by Leonardo DiCaprio.
“When you have big stars like that, you can't make the movie about these minor characters surrounding and supporting the narrative, namely the Osages,” Tinker added. “Even the character of Mollie Burkhart, who has more of a role than the other Osages, is silent throughout much of the film.”
Otoe-Missouria/Osage attorney Wilson Pipestem turned to Facebook, urging critics to be “gentle” with their words:
Shot on location in Oklahoma, the film’s supporting cast includes dozens of Osage actors in key parts.