James Carter

One star is far too kind for this movie, short version: it’s just plain awful and far too long! Wait for this to hit a streaming service and enjoy at your own pace (the film is so slow you might as well). The story has some turns that don’t really make sense or add any storytelling value. The picture painted of the Osage is not really a good one, almost as if justifying the things that happen. The acting on display is top notch but Scorcese’s craftsmanship is to be questioned here as there is a significant lack of good storytelling, suspense or mystery anywhere, the script the cast had to work from was absolutely atrocious, and the result of some extremely questionable editorial decisions concluded in a really bad film that was a draining experience for the audience. (SPOILERS) The worst part for me is that after enduring this melancholic death fest and witnessing the dehumanising actions committed against the Osage, the audience is denied the full trial of William and Earnest et al, in fact after being questioned in the trial there is no other mention of what became of the other actors in these atrocities, instead being told the remainder of their story in a staged radio play which felt really bizarre and really didn’t fit into the film, it just served to remove the audience even further from the events (and the victims) that have unfolded. After really looking forward to this film, I was extremely disappointed with it.