'Killers of the Flower Moon' is a simple story of white greed. Martin Scorsese makes it more

At its heart “Killers of the Flower Moon” is a deceptively simple movie: greedy white men conspire to steal oil rights from Native Americans they consider unworthy of such wealth, and resort to killing them to get what they want.

But thanks to Martin Scorsese’s direction, which immerses the audience in the film from the start and never lets go, and brilliant performances — especially by Lily Gladstone, grabbing the movie from bigger-name stars — it is that and much more.

Whenever anyone says something like this I tend to run the other way, but in this case it’s true: It is the story of America.

It is also a version of America that certain contemporary factions would try to keep out of schools, banned from history, because of its laser focus on white greed and racism. These kinds of people are afraid of the truth, but the truth is what Scorsese specializes in — emotional truth, the price of honesty, especially when being honest with oneself.

Is 'Killers of the Flower Moon' worth watching?

I don’t know if the film, based on the nonfiction book by David Grann, is a masterpiece, quite, but it’s sitting on the same shelf.

The film begins with the Osage Nation, having been relocated to what is now Oklahoma, discovering oil on their land. Suddenly they are, we learn, the richest people per capita on earth.

Soon Ernest Burkhart (Leonardo DiCaprio) arrives in Fairfax, a bustling town with car races on the dirt streets and stores filled with goods. Ernest is just back from World War I and has come to work for his uncle, William “King” Hale (Robert De Niro), a powerful cattle rancher who runs the town through his largesse and his muscle. He loves the Osage people, he tells his nephew, and they love him.

Hale quizzes Ernest about his time in the war and his plans. Does he like women? Yes. “You like Red?” This is about as openly racist as Hale gets. The only colors he really cares about are the black gold of oil and the green of cash.

Ernest goes to work driving a cab, and one of his frequent fares is Mollie Brown (Lily Gladstone), a member of the Osage Nation. Her sisters warn her that Ernest is out for her money, and she doesn’t deny it. He doesn’t deny it. “I love money!” he screams several times during the film like a kid talking about ice cream.

He’s not the smartest guy around, Mollie figures, but he’s handsome and he does seem to have feelings for her.

And he really does. This sets in motion a moral and emotional quagmire for Ernest, who is not smart enough — and way too greedy — to steer clear of his uncle’s murderous schemes, but who genuinely loves Mollie and cannot see (or refuses to see) the damage he is doing to her.

They marry and have children. Meanwhile, the body count among the Osage grows to staggering numbers. Scorsese breaks into the narrative every so often to name another victim and show them, either laid out in burial garb or, in some cases, much more violent surroundings. It is a jolt every time he does it, and it is meant to be.

'Always good to be back': After 42 years Ron Hoon absences cause a stir

DiCaprio and De Niro are of course great. Lily Gladstone is better

Eventually, after other investigative efforts result in dead ends or dead investigators, federal agents arrive at the behest of J. Edgar Hoover (the subtitle of Grann’s book is “The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI”). They’re led by Thomas White (Jesse Plemons), a no-nonsense fellow who is willing to wait and gather the information he needs to start making arrests.

In time Ernest will have to choose sides, but with Scorsese nothing is ever that easy because in truth nothing really ever is.

The film is chock full of several colorful characters; musician Jason Isbell has a substantial part as Ernest’s curious brother-in-law, and actors like Brendan Fraser and John Lithgow just show up like it’s no big deal. DiCaprio has the showy part; Ernest is at first loud and boisterous, till life and his own moral failings begin to beat him down. DiCaprio successfully navigates that transition, though, as with many of his roles, he occasionally overdoes it. (And his frown makes him look like Popeye the Sailor Man.)

De Niro is equally effective by doing much less. His Hale simply lives in a universe of his own making, where he decides what is right and wrong. There’s no reason to get upset. He orders murders in the same steady drawl he uses to greet old Osage friends.

It is monstrously unsettling.

But Gladstone’s performance is both unique and astounding. Her Mollie sees disaster coming and yet leans into it — you can see it in Gladstone’s face. She’s funny, with a wicked deadpan delivery (“You don’t say,” she mutters to a stumbling Ernest when he tells her he’s drunk), but she also fully embraces the agony of loss all around her. She is mesmerizing.

In a movie this big, this epic, the off-screen sound of a door closing is devastating. And then Scorsese has other surprises in store.

“Killers of the Flower Moon” is a full-on cinematic experience. It’s rare that a movie that you should see is also one you want to see. This is one.

'Killers of the Flower Moon' 4.5 stars

Great ★★★★★ Good ★★★★

Fair ★★★ Bad ★★ Bomb ★

Director: Martin Scorsese.

Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Lily Gladstone, Robert De Niro.

Rating: R for violence, some grisly images, and language.

How to watch: In theaters Friday, Oct. 20.

Reach Goodykoontz at [email protected]. Facebook: facebook.com/GoodyOnFilm. X, formerly known as Twitter: @goodyk.

Subscribe to azcentral.com today. What are you waiting for?

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 'Killers of the Flower Moon' is a true story of the Osage, white greed