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'Killers of the Flower Moon' cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro headline new Scorsese movie
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Date:2025-04-13 08:57:01
This story may contain spoilers for "Killers of the Flower Moon."
One of the most highly anticipated movies of the season is set to hit theaters this weekend.
"Killers of the Flower Moon," the latest film from director Martin Scorsese, will have people flocking the movie theaters beginning Friday, Oct. 20.
The movie, based on the 2017 David Grann book about the Osage murders in 1920s Oklahoma, stars a couple Hollywood heavyweights you're used to seeing in Scorsese's productions: Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro.
Lily Gladstone, Jesse Plemons, Brendan Fraser, Larry Sellers and John Lithgow, among others, also star in the movie.
USA TODAY movie critic Brian Truitt gave the movie 4 out of 4 stars, noting that Scorsese "crafts a powerful and awesome crime story" and that the filmmaker "makes every minute of its 3½ hours narratively important and essential."
Truitt also says the movie "is a gripping story about true love and white greed that wrestles with America's complicated history concerning its indigenous people."
The movie, based on a true story, is told through the "improbable" love of Ernest Burkhart (DiCaprio) and Mollie Kyle (Lily Gladstone).
Here's everything you need to know about "Killers of the Flower Moon," including the cast and who they are portraying.
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Leonardo DiCaprio as Ernest Burkhart
"Killers of the Flower Moon" is the seventh collaboration between Scorsese and DiCaprio. They have also worked together on "Gangs of New York," "The Aviator," "The Departed," "Shutter Island," "The Wolf of Wall Street" and "The Audition."
DiCaprio's character, Ernest Burkhart, arrives in Osage County to work for his uncle, William King Hale, one of the most influential figures in the county.
Hale has a good relationship with the Osage people and convinces his nephew to marry Mollie Kyle, an allotted full-blood Osage.
While Ernest and Mollie are starting a family, members of the Osage begin to die in mysterious ways, forcing Mollie to question who she trusts most.
Lily Gladstone as Mollie Burkhart
Gladstone delivers a "stunning breakthrough performance" as Mollie Burkhart, Truitt notes.
Truitt writes Gladstone "is the most important person on screen, navigating a deep character arc full of love and pain."
Gladstone made her film debut in "Jimmy P: Psychotherapy of a Plains Indian" in 2012.
She was raised on the Blackfeet Reservation in Montana and her tribal affiliations include Kainai, Amskapi Piikani and Nimi'ipuu First Nations.
Robert De Niro as William Hale
De Niro plays Burkhart's uncle and the mastermind behind the deadly scheme.
Hale was well-known for his generous contributions to the Osage community, but was later convicted of murdering his friend, an Osage man named Henry Roan, on whom he had taken out a $25,000 life insurance policy.
De Niro's relationship with Scorsese goes back decades, starting with "Mean Streets" in 1973.
"Killers of the Flower Moon" will be their 11th collaboration. Other notable projects they have worked on together include "Taxi Driver," "Raging Bull," "Goodfellas" and "The Irishman."
Jesse Plemons as Tom White
Plemons plays Tom White, the lead investigator sent to Osage County by the FBI to investigate the Osage deaths.
DiCaprio was originally cast as White, who was the central protagonist in the early drafts of the script. However, at DiCaprio's suggestion, Scorsese and co-writer Eric Roth shifted the focus to Mollie and Ernest Burkhart in an effort to put the Osage Nation front and center. After the script was changed, Plemons was brought in.
Plemons has had roles in TV shows such as "Friday Night Lights," "Breaking Bad" and "Fargo," in addition to movies such as "The Power of the Dog," "The Irishman" and "Black Mass."
Also featured
John Lithgow
Brendan Fraser
Tantoo Cardinal
Cara Jade Myers
JaNae Collins
Jillian Dion
William Belleau
Louis Cancelmi
Tatanka Means
Michael Abbott Jr.
Pat Healy
Scott Shepherd
Plus, country music stars Jason Isbell and Sturgill Simpson
Jason Isbell and Sturgill Simpson, better known for their work on the stage than on the big screen, are listed as part of the cast of Scorsese's latest film.
The musical artists have made a name for themselves on the country music scene with popular albums like Isbell's "Southeastern" (2013) and Simpson's "Metamodern Sounds in Country Music" (2014), among others.
Contributing: Patrick Ryan and Brian Truitt, USA TODAY
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