Summary

• Killers of the Flower Moon is a nearly 3-and-a-half-hour epic that tells the true story of the atrocities committed against the Osage Nation in 1920s Oklahoma.
• The film stays remarkably faithful to the actual historical events and offers a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the production challenges faced by Martin Scorsese and the cast.
• The movie's budget was over $200 million, making it the most expensive film ever shot in Oklahoma, and it created many career opportunities for members of the Osage Nation who helped ensure accurate cultural representation.

Martin Scorsese's latest film Killers of the Flower Moon is a nearly 3-and-a-half-hour epic that tells an incredible true story, which can be elevated thanks to some behind-the-scenes facts about the movie. The movie dramatizes the atrocities committed against the Osage Nation, a Native American tribe, in 1920s Oklahoma. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio as Ernest Burkhart, a World War I veteran who lived in Osage County, and Robert De Niro as his uncle William King Hale, Killers of the Flower Moon's true story follows Ernest and Hale's plot to murder Ernest's wife Mollie (Lily Gladstone) and her family to inherit of her family's fortune.

The film's massive scale made production a challenge, with many moving parts involved in bringing this Western crime epic to life in the most authentic way possible. Notably, the film is remarkably faithful to the actual historical events, and it is likely to leave audiences in awe of the story and craft on display from the beginning all the way through Killers of the Flower Moon's ending. The entire movie becomes even more fascinating thanks to a handful of details about what it took behind the scenes for Martin Scorsese and the cast to make Killers of the Flower Moon.

10 Leonardo DiCaprio Wore Butt Pads To Be Spanked By Robert De Niro

In one section of the film, the simpleminded Burkhart botches the planning of a murder and, in an unforeseen moment, Hale paddles him repeatedly as punishment. It's a surprising moment, mainly because Hale usually has others commit acts of violence on his behalf, but also because it is the first instance when we see him truly berate Ernest. The film's cinematographer, Rodrigo Prieto, shared with Insider that De Niro really did spank DiCaprio with a paddle and with genuine force, and not just once but over many takes. This required DiCaprio to wear some padding under his costume to ease the blow, though they apparently only helped so much.

9 Jesse Plemons's Federal Agent Was The Main Character In The Original Script

A late film shift occurs as the flaws in Hale and Burkhart's plans become evident, marked by the arrival of Jesse Plemons' Tom White. David Grann's Killers of the Flower Moon book presents the story mostly from his perspective. In an interview with Deadline, Scorsese disclosed that the initial script by Eric Roth similarly positioned White Sr. as the central character, with DiCaprio originally cast for the role. However, script difficulties prompted a reevaluation, and, influenced by DiCaprio's encouragement (as the director said to the New Yorker), the narrative was refocused to unfold within the Osage Nation, primarily through Ernest's viewpoint rather than the bureau's peripheral lens.

8 Killers Of The Flower Moon Is The Most Expensive Film Ever Shot In Oklahoma

Killers of the Flower Moon is not only set in Oklahoma, it was filmed on location in the state as well. According to the Journal Record, the film's production notably created 470 career opportunities in the state, including hundreds for members of the Osage nation who helped to maintain the film's accurate cultural portrayal. The movie is the largest production to ever film in the state, with Killers of the Flower Moon's budget reportedly being over $200 million.

7 Osage Tribal Members Advised Martin Scorsese To Ensure Accurate Representation

Per NPR, when members of the Osage Nation first heard Scorsese was bringing Grann's novel to the screen, they arranged to meet with the director. Principal Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear and Chad Renfro, who also served as the Osage's ambassador on the film, created a list of language, customs, and cultural consultants to help Scorsese ensure the film's accuracy. The wardrobe consultant, Osage citizen Julie O'Keefe, even put an ad out looking for Osage women to show off their heirlooms so that the production could get a better idea of some of the materials of the time, many of which featured long-extinct colors.

6 Killers Of The Flower Moon Was Martin Scorsese's Last Movie With First Nation Descendant Robbie Robertson

First Nation descendant Robbie Robertson collaborated in differing capacities as a composer, music supervisor, and music producer with Martin Scorsese nearly a dozen times over both of their careers, working on Raging Bull, Shutter Island, and The Wolf of Wall Street to name a few. He was equally known for his many hit songs and for his time spent as Bob Dylan's guitarist. He passed away just two-and-a-half months before the film's release, and Variety notes in an interview just before his death that it was the last thing he ever worked on.

5 Leonardo DiCaprio's Ad-Libbed One Of Killers Of The Flower Moon's Best Moments

While speaking to Vulture, Martin Scorsese revealed that one unforgettably rare moment of warmth in the film featured a moment of improvisation from Leonardo DiCaprio. The moment is one of the first times DiCaprio and Lily Gladstone's characters meet. Ernest advances towards Mollie are met with her exasperatedly mumbling some Osage words, to which he responds that she must be saying "handsome devil". The line was not in the script and Gladstone's laugh was a genuine reaction to it.

4 Killers Of The Flower Moon Has A Surprise Barbie Connection

Killers of the Flower Moon's cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto has collaborated many times with Scorsese. Prieto has a long and impressive career, having received three Oscar nominations for his work on Brokeback Mountain, as well as Scorsese's own Silence and The Irishman, not to mention working on Best Picture Winner Argo. Killers of the Flower Moon marks the second major 2024 Oscar contender for Prieto. That film is the critically acclaimed, record-breaking Barbie, whose bright candy colors could not be more different from Killers of the Flower Moon's grainy, saturated visuals.

3 Lily Gladstone Didn't Have To Audition For Killers Of The Flower Moon

According to an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, at the start of the pandemic, Lily Gladstone was very close to quitting acting when she received an email requesting her to meet with Martin Scorsese. From just that initial meeting Scorsese chose the Native American actress to portray Mollie Burkhart. The director had already been impressed with her work in the film Certain Women before their meeting, noting her simplicity and powerful silences. As a result, Gladstone was cast in the breakthrough role without having to audition.

2 DiCaprio and De Niro Are Older Than Their Real-Life Counterparts

Killers of the Flower Moon is an incredibly accurate film when it comes to representing the Osage people, as well as recounting the murders and those involved. One of the main liberties the film takes, however, is in casting Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro, who are both older than the real people they are playing. According to History.com, Ernest Burkhart was only 19 when he returned from the war, and only 28 when the murders began, while DiCaprio is 48, and William King Hale, who the 80-year-old De Niro portrays, was only 45.

1 Scorsese, DiCaprio and De Niro's First Feature Collaboration As A Trio

DiCaprio and De Niro first worked together on the 1993 film This Boy's Life, and then again 3 years later in Marvin's Room. While Scorsese played a monumental role in De Niro's ascent to stardom and took an early interest in DiCaprio's budding career, the three men have never made a movie together before Killers of the Flower Moon. The closest they've come is working together on a 2015 short promoting a hotel and casino. Therefore, Killers of the Flower Moon became their first collaboration as a trio, even if that is hard to believe.

Sources: Insider, Deadline, New Yorker, Journal Record, NPR, Variety, Vulture, The Hollywood Reporter, History.com