In Osage County, Oklahoma, Osage Native American elders bury a ceremonial pipe, mourning the assimilation of their descendants into white American society. Suddenly, oil starts to gush on the lands, causing the tribe to become some of the richest people in the world. Soon, Ernest Burkhart (Leonardo DiCaprio) returns from World War I to his rancher uncle William ‘King’ Hale (Robert Di Niro), who advises Ernest to pay special attention to Mollie Kyle (Lily Gladstone), an Osage whose family owns much of the oil land headrights.

Based on David Grann’s 2017 book delving into the real-life mass murders of the Osage people, the movie shifts focus from the FBI’s investigation to the lead antagonists. DiCaprio’s Ernest is a simple snake, working for his duplicitous uncle while also falling for Mollie. Di Niro’s Hale is a patriarch of his community, heavily involved with the town and its machinations as well as being a trusted friend to the Osage people. Throughout the 3.5-hour runtime, audiences can come to understand how the many crimes could have been carried out via insidious, gaslighting and reality-warping means. It is odd, however, that the narrative angle is skewed to understanding the antagonists’ point of view, as opposed to that of the central character of Mollie, the real heart of the story.

The production design, cinematography and score are all solid, however, viscerally invoking the environment and period.

Verdict: A solid exploration of the extortion, betrayal and murder of the Osage people from a questionable point of view. 3 stars.

Luke McWilliams, themovieclub.net.