Linda How

Martin Scorsese's masterful story-telling and directing skills are put to the screen again as he explores the themes of the nature of evil and the corruptive influence of money that leads to the ultimate betrayal and tragic loss of human lives. It is also a film adaptation of a best-selling nonfictional book launched in 2017 by David Grann, where he uncovered the plots and murders of the Osage nation in the 1920s that spawned the birth of the FBI. After being pushed off their property to the presumed wasteland of Oklahoma around the turn of the last century, the Osage Nation was stunned to find itself the recipient of the earthly gift of oil, making them the wealthiest group of people in the country per capita overnight. They became the wealthest group of the Red Indian tribes and overturned the social hierarchy where the white people became their personal chauffeurs, house keepers and servants. However there is a catch - the Osage people are deemed as incapable of handling their finances and had to appoint guardians to manage their mineral trust funds and lucrative oil inheritance called "headrights". The overnight acquisition of unparalleled wealth and disruption of the social order served as a magnet for greedy exploitators and manipulative White Americans who are the natural stewards and managers of their headrights. There came the character of William King Hale (Robert De Niro), a cattle baron who called himself a friend of the Osage Nation. He was a two-faced snake, and a manipulative uncle to a gullible, biddable, thickhead, Ernest Burkhart (Leonardo Dicaprio). He was able to play the political games that made him an ally to both the Osage and the white people while working behind the scenes to bribe the local doctors, judges and law enforcers in his plot to annihilate the Osage people, even to the extent of getting his nephew to marry an Osage woman. Leonardo gave one of his finest performances as a deeply conflicted minion to his uncle, who is torn between his fierce but misguided loyalty to his uncle and his love for his wife. Robert De Niro plays his sociopathic character, William Hale, to great finesse and charismatic gravitas. However, there are a few flaws in both actors' performance. I find Leo's facial expressions to be a little contrived at times. His perpetual frown and downward curl of his mouth seem bewildering at certain moments and De Niro's character lacks depth and introspection. The only protagonists in the whole plot are Mollie Burkhart (Lily Gladstone) and the federal investigator, who served as the moral bulwark in this otherwise dark and depressing movie.

Liam Neeson is my favourite action hero. Just watched this movie,"Retrbution" and was blown away by his riveting performance. Liam played a rich hedge fund investor being blackmailed by an unknown assailant, who has planted a bomb below his car seat that could detonate whenever he or his 2 teenager children leave the car. His character, Matt Turner needs to follow a series of twisted instructions from the assailant and think of a way to survive, in the midst of an impending divorce from his estranged wife and his sense of detachment from his two unappreciative children. Liam Neeson's career trajectory since 2012 in movies like "Taken" and "The Commuter" seems to follow the same storyline, which is that of an innocent dad being set up by his nemesis under unexpected and dire circumstances where he has to risk his life and limbs to save his children or wife. However, he seems to be the best actor to play such roles because I cannot imagine any other actors who can fit into these characters like a glove. Liam is a rare, character actor who can emote inner emotional turmoil through his eyes and the quivering of his lips. When the camera zooms in on his face, you can feel his intensity, fear, anger and grief all at once. I came into the movie theatre with no high expectations as I thought this was just one of his usual stereotyped role but I was really impressed by the intensity of his acting. Just a pity that they don't give Oscar awards to action type roles😊