Leonardo DiCaprio reportedly thinks ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ is ‘a masterpiece’

Martin Scorsese’s historical crime drama “Killers of the Flower Moon” is one of the most anticipated films of 2023. It’s the great director’s first film since “The Irishman,” and Apple gave him a reported $200 million budget to execute his vision. According to one of its stars, it’s a “masterpiece.”

Speaking to Deadline, the film’s costume designer, Jacqueline West, said that while she hasn’t seen the film yet, Leonardo DiCaprio – who produces the film and stars alongside Robert De Niro and Jesse Plemons – has, and he told her about it at lunch the other day. 

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“He said, ‘Jackie, I think we worked on a masterpiece,’” West recalled. “I thought for Leo to say that, was something. He doesn’t say that lightly. He has been in the business since he was a little boy.”

She also said that Lily Gladstone – who plays DiCaprio’s character’s Native American wife – is “incredible.” Furthermore, “the images were thrilling” and “it looks amazing.” 

This is high praise coming from West, a four-time Academy Award nominee who has worked on  films like Terrence Malick’s “The Tree of Life,” Alejandro González Iñárritu’s “The Revenant,” and Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune.” “Killers of the Flower Moon” is her first time working with Scorsese. 

“My husband said after I worked with Scorsese, ‘OK, now you can quit.’ That’s the pinnacle,” she said. 

“Killers of the Flower Moon” is based on a nonfiction book by David Grann. After oil is discovered on Osage tribal land in Oklahoma in the 1920s, members of the nation start turning up dead. Federal investigator Tom White (Plemons) is brought in to solve the case, and he uncovers a shocking conspiracy. DiCaprio plays Ernest Burkhart, the weak-willed nephew of William Hale (De Niro), a local businessman who wants the Osage oil rights. The cast also includes Tantoo Cardinal, Brendan Fraser, and John Lithgow. 

Scorsese directs from a script by himself and Eric Roth (“Forrest Gump”). He’s working with some of his regular collaborators, like cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto (with whom he has worked since “The Wolf of Wall Street”), composer Robbie Robertson (with whom he has worked since “The Last Waltz”), and editor Thelma Schoonmaker (with whom he has worked since his first film, “Who’s That Knocking at My Door”). 

No release date has been set for “Killers of the Flower Moon,” but there are rumors it could premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in the spring. It’s a very early contender for next year’s 96th Academy Awards, and if it’s as good as West and DiCaprio say it is, it should pick up a number of nominations.

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