--- title: "Killers of the Flower Moon: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/killers-of-the-flower-moon/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/killers-of-the-flower-moon" critics_score: 87 critics_reviews: 13 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Killers of the Flower Moon (2023): what the critics said Critics' score 87 from 13 reviews: 12 positive, 1 mixed, 0 negative. The reviews are almost uniformly warm and the spread is narrow. Most critics treat Scorsese’s account of the Osage murders as a long film that earns its length, and the praise clusters on the acting: Lily Gladstone’s Mollie is named again and again as the film’s emotional centre, with De Niro’s Hale and an against-type DiCaprio close behind. Several reviews single out the decision to tell the story from the Osage side rather than as a detective procedural, and a few credit the editing and the score with keeping three and a half hours moving. Reservations are few and mostly about length. Sight and Sound finds the final third weaker once Gladstone is off screen, and Little White Lies is the one properly mixed voice, calling it fascinating and frustrating in equal measure, high on seriousness and low on spectacle, and suggesting it may not read as vintage Scorsese on a first viewing. Nobody dislikes it. ## Radio Times — Patrick Cremona Rating 5/5. The critic praises it as a richly detailed true epic that tells its story with patience and precision, highlighting Gladstone's impeccable performance, the score's urgency, and the unorthodox ending as a move of genius. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-tepua6/killers-of-the-flower-moon/) ## Time Out — Phil de Semlyen Rating 5/5. 20 May 2023. Festival review. The critic calls it an utterly gripping, impeccably constructed and politically-charged true-crime epic that sits alongside Scorsese's best work, singling out Lily Gladstone's flinty emotional core and the masterful editing and score. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/killers-of-the-flower-moon-2023) ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 21 May 2023. Festival review. The critic calls it terrific cinema and a Great American Film that captures the nation's original sin, praising the masterful choice to focus on the Osage and the elevated, goal-directed framing while noting the biblical and human scope. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/killers-of-the-flower-moon-cannes-review/5182225.article) ## Total Film — Jane Crowther Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 20 May 2023. Festival review. Scorsese's multi-layered epic is worth every second, a rich immersive masterclass on greed, racism and more. The critic highlights the outstanding performances across the board, especially from De Niro, DiCaprio and Gladstone. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/killers-of-the-flower-moon-review/) ## Sight and Sound Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 20 October 2023. The critic calls it a landmark achievement for Scorsese that gradually reveals itself as extraordinary, praising the shift in focus to the Osage story and Lily Gladstone's central performance while noting it suffers from her absence in the final third. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/killers-flower-moon-second-look-review-landmark-achievement-martin-scorsese) ## Evening Standard — Hamish MacBain Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 20 October 2023. Scorsese's historical epic zips along and is genuinely his best since The Wolf of Wall Street, with a hell of a story told beautifully. The critic singles out Lily Gladstone's standout performance as the real star and the beating heart of the film. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/killers-of-the-flower-moon-review-martin-scorsese-leonardo-dicaprio-robert-de-niro-b1113602.html) ## Little White Lies — David Jenkins Rating 5/3/4. 17 October 2023. The critic describes it as a big, fascinating, frustrating prestige epic of high seriousness and low spectacle, praising the performances especially Gladstone's stoic presence and the extraordinary coda while noting it may not be vintage Scorsese on first watch. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/killers-of-the-flower-moon/) ## Empire — John Nugent 3 October 2023. Scorsese delivers exceptional filmmaking in this vast yet intimate crime epic about the Osage murders. The critic singles out the central relationship between Ernest and Mollie, and Lily Gladstone's restrained, devastating performance, for particular praise. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/killers-of-the-flower-moon/) ## Financial Times — Danny Leigh 19 October 2023. The critic describes a bristling epic of cyclical American violence, a grim true-crime chronicle and Native American horror story with De Niro queasily superb and the director on new political ground while remaining Scorsese to the core. It singles out the recurring theme of American violence and strong pacing across its long runtime. [Read the review](https://www.ft.com/content/4dcdecf4-7d9c-4b00-a51a-592e21cb15be) ## IndieWire — David Ehrlich 20 May 2023. Festival review. Scorsese's adaptation focuses on a poisonous love story rather than the book's mythic sweep, with DiCaprio delivering one of his best performances in this bitter crime epic. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/killers-of-the-flower-moon-review-1234865405/) ## The Guardian — Wendy Ide 22 October 2023. The critic praises Scorsese’s gripping, masterful account of the Osage murders, highlighting towering performances from De Niro, an against-type DiCaprio and magnetic Lily Gladstone. It singles out the film’s focus on power structures and a marriage of real love amid exploitation as its core strength. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/oct/22/killers-of-the-flower-moon-review-martin-scorsese-osage-county-native-american-masterly-true-crime-epic-robert-de-niro-leonardo-dicaprio-lily-gladstone) ## The Hollywood Reporter — David Rooney 20 May 2023. Festival review. Scorsese delivers a searing, three-and-a-half-hour true-crime epic about the Osage murders that honors victims and survivors with atmospheric detail and strong performances, especially from Lily Gladstone as the wounded heart of the story. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/killers-of-the-flower-moon-review-leonardo-dicaprio-lily-gladstone-robert-de-niro-martin-scorsese-1235496646/) ## The New York Times — Manohla Dargis Rating Critic’s Pick. 19 October 2023. The critic calls the film an unsettling masterpiece and a requiem for the country, praising Scorsese’s grace, sorrow, and sublime filmmaking clarity in adapting the true-crime story of the Osage murders. The review singles out the film’s destabilizing mix of genres and its apocalyptic imagery as standout elements. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/19/movies/killers-of-the-flower-moon-review-martin-scorsese.html) ## The Telegraph 20 October 2023. Festival review. The critic calls it a masterpiece and extravagant Western that gives DiCaprio his best role yet, with Scorsese outdoing himself in diagnosing America’s sicknesses through toxic performances from DiCaprio and De Niro. It singles out the rich, riveting character work and fresh take on Scorsese’s recurring themes. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/killers-of-the-flower-moon-cannes-review-a-martin-scorsese/) ## Vulture 12 January 2024. The film is ultimately a twisted marriage story between Mollie and Ernest, with Gladstone giving a standout performance as the story's emotional core amid Scorsese's exploration of greed and moral failure. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/killers-of-the-flower-moon-is-the-slipperiest-of-things.html) ## Den of Geek — David Crow Rating 4.5/5. 16 October 2023. The critic calls it a sprawling, merciless reckoning with American greed, sin, and the theft of the West that is gripping and monumental despite its indulgent length. They single out De Niro's chilling performance as Hale and Gladstone's towering turn as Mollie for particular praise. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/killers-of-the-flower-moon-review/) ## /Film — Lex Briscuso Rating 9/10. 20 May 2023. Festival review. The critic calls the film a cautionary masterpiece on the insidiousness of white men, using the true story of the Osage murders to expose betrayal and greed. They single out Lily Gladstone's quiet yet powerful performance as the film's uncontested standout. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/1291931/killers-of-the-flower-moon-review/) ## Polygon — Oli Welsh Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 19 October 2023. The review deems the film assured, vital, and a scathing indictment of American greed, arriving at a magnificent work through Scorsese's assured storytelling. It singles out the humility, curiosity, despair, and fury in its approach to the Osage people's suffering, anchored by Lily Gladstone's spellbinding performance. [Read the review](https://www.polygon.com/reviews/23922955/killers-of-the-flower-moon-review-martin-scorsese-leonardo-dicaprio/) ## NME — Lou Thomas Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 26 May 2023. Festival review. The critic describes it as a heartbreaking true crime chiller and one of Scorsese’s most important works, praising its sensitive handling of the Osage genocide story, strong performances from DiCaprio, De Niro, and Gladstone, and its earned epic runtime. [Read the review](https://www.nme.com/reviews/film-reviews/killers-of-the-flower-moon-review-martin-scorsese-3448518) ## The Ringer — Miles Surrey Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 23 October 2023. The review calls the film an empathetic, unflinching epic that fully justifies its lengthy runtime through its harrowing tale of greed, cruelty, and violence. It singles out the depth and detail given to the Osage Nation's overlooked story as what makes the film essential viewing. [Read the review](https://www.theringer.com/2023/10/23/movies/killers-of-the-flower-moon-review-long-movie-run-time-justified) ## Collider — Chase Hutchinson Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 20 October 2023. The review praises the film as a gripping and horrific true story of America's past, centering on Lily Gladstone's standout performance as its emotional core. It singles out Gladstone's subtle, nuanced portrayal of Mollie for bringing humanity, depth, and personal stakes to the epic. [Read the review](https://collider.com/killers-of-the-flower-moon-lily-gladstone/) ## Deadline — Pete Hammond 20 May 2023. Festival review. The critic calls the film a landmark achievement for its sensitive handling of the Osage Nation's story and its shift away from a white savior narrative toward the perpetrators' greed and deception. Strong performances by DiCaprio, De Niro, and Gladstone anchor the dark epic love story and murder plot. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/2023/05/killers-of-the-flower-moon-review-martin-scorsese-leonardo-dicaprio-robert-de-niro-1235374049/) ## The Wrap 20 October 2023. The review describes the film as vast and vital, a searing true-crime epic that powerfully illustrates a forgotten chapter of American history with Scorsese's signature crime-drama style. DiCaprio, Gladstone, and De Niro deliver standout performances, culminating in a delicate and masterful conclusion. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/killers-of-the-flower-moon-review-leonardo-dicaprio/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/killers-of-the-flower-moon.md