Scorsese Defends Three-Hour Runtime in 'Killers of the Flower Moon'

Martin Scorsese's 'Killers of the Flower Moon' is defended by the director against criticisms of its three-and-a-half-hour runtime. Scorsese contrasts the film's length with audiences' willingness to spend five hours watching TV, framing his work as a counter to 'packaged content' and superhero cinema. The film, a noir that subverts the genre, shifts focus from the FBI investigation of Osage murders to the perspective of Native co-protagonist Mollie Burkhart, played by Lily Gladstone. Scorsese argues the length allows immersion into the Osage Nation's world, their experience of time, and the conflict over oil rights driven by capitalist greed. The narrative changes direction multiple times, exploring layers of cruelty and responsibility through characters like William Hale (Robert De Niro) and Ernest Burkhart (Leonardo DiCaprio). Scorsese positions the film as part of a decades-long discourse on Western capitalism's origins, alongside his earlier works. He emphasizes that duration is a matter of rhythm, enabling character evolution—DiCaprio's performance spans emotional variations reminiscent of his role in 'Shutter Island'. The film is presented as an example of old-fashioned cinema that embodies what art should be.