At the turn of the 20th century, oil brought a fortune to the Osage Nation, who became some of the richest people in the world overnight. The wealth of these Native Americans immediately attracted white interlopers, who manipulated, extorted and stole as much Osage money as they could before resorting to murder. Based on a true story and told through the improbable romance of Ernest Burkhart (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Mollie Kyle (Lily Gladstone), “Killers of the Flower Moon” is an epic western crime saga, where real love crosses paths with unspeakable betrayal. Also starring Robert De Niro and Jesse Plemons, “Killers of the Flower Moon” is directed by Academy Award winner Martin Scorsese from a screenplay by Eric Roth and Martin Scorsese, based on David Grann’s bestselling book.
Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon,” one of the most anticipated premieres of this year’s Cannes Film Festival, had the red carpet abuzz on Saturday evening as its star-studded cast attracted throngs of fans to the Croisette boulevard.
“Killers of the Flower Moon” sees Scorsese team up with two of his muses, Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro – who stars in Scorsese’s only Palme d’Or winner, 1976’s “Taxi Driver.”
Jesse Plemons and Lily Gladstone also star in the film, with Brendan Fraser and John Lithgow showing up in small parts… The film received a nine-minute ovation after the premiere, with Gladstone visibly tearing up as the applause continued.
The film was shown out of competition, though festival director Thierry Fremaux said that he had extended an invitation for it to enter the running for the Palme d’Or after Apple agreed to release it in theatres before streaming it.
Apple has teamed up with Paramount Pictures to release the film exclusively in theatres on Oct. 6 before streaming it – one of the preconditions of being eligible to compete at Cannes.