Other than Lily Gladstone’s performance, Robbie Robertson’s score is the best part of KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON.

KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON (Martin Scorsese, 2023)

(**+ / *****) :: With some notable exceptions – the sheer power and importance of the story; the performances of Lily Gladstone, Robert DeNiro, and Jesse Plemmons (in a just world, he and DiCaprio, whose more-caricature-than-character performance veered into parody, would have switched roles); Robbie Robertson's (RIP) score; and the radio show postscript at the end – FLOWER MOON left me underwhelmed. Don’t me wrong: this story needed to be told and deserved to be told by a master like Scorsese; I only wish it hadn’t been told by a master seemingly second-guessing himself at every turn.

thinking

what’s the sticking point? / does that original iteration of that thing actually work? / that one name didn't work but maybe the one you haven't come up with yet will / DiCaprio is the weakest link in KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON, Lily Gladstone the strongest: she's amazing / non-sequiturs are nifty / hi