@thearmag3ddon here with yet another movie review you didn’t ask for:
There’s a reason the graphic I made looks this way. It’s a much deeper conversation but let’s chat if you’re into it. Meanwhile…
First off, let me start by saying that the only terrible part for me while watching this movie was that The Eras Tour movie volume next door was up so loud that it overpowered some of the more quiet moments in this close to perfect, but not quite there Scorsese joint masterpiece, for me.
I once knew someone that said Marlon Brando could do no wrong based on his early work. That’s right, that person really with a straight face tried to defend the Island of Dr. Moreau. But yeah, we don’t do that here. But what I am saying is that even Shakespere’s plays have a ranking, and we only really talk about the plays that are the tip top, but there is plenty of his work that goes unnoticed.
It’s not fair. It’s absolutely not fair to do this, and I acknowledge that. BUT I’M GOING TO DO IT ANYWAY. Also to be completely honest, the last movie I felt that had anything close to Scorsese’s top notch energy was The Departed, and that wasn’t quite there either (because REMAKE…amirite fellow film snobs?)
It’s just that in comparison to some of his other works, and other movies in general I can’t quite simply rave. We don’t grade things on a digital scale over here, so fight that impulse to react and just go with my flow here. I DID like it but I can’t deny that I wasn’t fully engaged either. Everything is relative and for me the Scorsese bar is high. BUT ALSO, that doesn’t mean I hate it, don’t find value in it, and don’t think it isn’t a very important film. It is all of those things. And it is more important now than ever in terms of subject matter. It’s just that all of it didn’t come together to the lofty peaks of a Scorsese joint that I have in my mind.
Some interesting things it does is that it tells an original story. What I mean by that is that it portrays a social dynamic that isn’t typically shown in film and TV. While it is based on a true story, these kinds or stories are rarely bothered to be told to the masses at large. It’s a world where at least ostensibly the traditionally oppressed, hold roles and stations that are above the hegemony at least in this particular setting. Little visual tidbits of white characters filling the roles of servants effectively sets up what we’re working with here. AND, ostensibly because by depicting things this way it gets to the underlying insidiousness of it all. In the 45 years from Custer’s last stand to the time of this story, the United States had moved from The Wild West to a more “civilized” time. The drive to conquer and control and incept a hierarchy will evolve and adapt to whatever the current bar of polite society is. And thus the story of this film is that the motive ever remains the same, even though the times have changed.
But then again, on the other hand there is an element of this entire endeavor being borderline if not fully problematic because of who is telling the story and from the perspective chosen to tell it. Sooooo…..
Outside of the story bits, one thing I do have to say, is that this is one of Leonardo DiCaprio’s better performances but for me that’s actually not saying THE WORLD. This is just FOR ME, but he always appears to be….acting? Duh I know that’s what he’s doing, but he doesn’t ever seem to become those characters he’s portraying for me. I’ve felt this way ever since The Aviator and while I know the rest of the world is on board, he just doesn’t do it for me. I think his greatest performance was in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, and for everything else, he’s just Leo. It’s all good. Please don’t cancel me. But, up against Deniro and my boy Jesse Plemons who for me cakewalk shines here, there’s just some undefinable thing that he does that just feels like…too much.
Leo puts up a great performance however and commits, and to be very fair to him, he doesn’t just play himself like so many other established actors have fallen into, including up this movie, his co-star from Meet the Fokkers or whatever.
Anyway, really the main reason I can’t say it was the greatest ever was because the filmic choices felt a bit too ordinary and not nearly cinematic. Again, half the battle with anything is expectation so maybe I was expecting too much. At the same time it’s far beyond most everything out there you will see in terms of whatever idea of objective quality as a society we tend to agree upon. Marty had a very good point in his discussion on MCU and Super Hero films. For me, it’s ok to love both. Sometimes I want IN n Out, and sometimes I want a ribeye. Both the Fast and the Furious teach you about the value and importance of family but they do it in two VERY different ways, with very different end goals. One is meant to entertain, while the other (I think) is to make you contemplate. There’s a full range of experiences and emotions to explore in every kind of film. This movie was incredibly thoughtful, and will easily sweep at Awards season and one scene (with Leo even after I said he was a bit too much) almost made me cry. So probably stand down before you come at me with your pitchforks.
So I’m here to say that. I liked it, but it didn’t send me. But also since I do tend to resonate and have a passion for stories of oppressed peoples no matter where they are at in the world to me this is a conversation and film that people need to see and be open to. And because of the business side of film, and in order to see more stories like it, it’s important to see it in the theater. But if you don’t, and wait for it to show up at home, I totally get that also.
Comparison is the thief of joy, so take my thoughts with a grain of salt and make up your own mind. These reviews you didn’t ask for aren’t meant to tell you what to think. They really are just my views and insights based on my background and experiences. It is my wish for you that you DO think it’s the greatest movie ever. I certainly wouldn’t actively argue that point if you did.
I give Killers of the Flower Moon 4 Cotton balls in Leonardo DiCaprio’s mouth like Brando in the Godfather and that’s why it’s called ACTING out of 5.