At 206 minutes—3 hours 26 minutes—Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon asks for a substantial stretch of your time. The Associated Press review acknowledges that its length is debatable, but argues that the story and filmmaking earn it. Whether it feels worthwhile depends less on the number alone than on how invested you are in its intimate, emotionally driven account of violence against the Osage community.
What the film is about
Set in 1920s Oklahoma, Killers of the Flower Moon follows Mollie Burkhart, an Osage woman, amid greed-fueled murders targeting members of the Osage community after oil is discovered on their land. Paramount describes Mollie’s fight to survive and bring the murders to light. The film is a crime drama directed by Martin Scorsese and stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro and Lily Gladstone.
![Killers of the Flower Moon (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51mVWS9Rg5L._SL160_.jpg)
![Killers of the Flower Moon [Blu-ray] Italian Import. Region B Locked. English & Italian audio.](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/31ykgYRd83L._SL160_.jpg)
The film adapts David Grann’s bestselling nonfiction book, Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI. The Festival de Cannes synopsis describes the crimes depicted as the Reign of Terror; that is a description of the film’s subject, not an independent historical fact-check.
How long is Killers of the Flower Moon?
The listed runtime is 206 minutes, or 3 hours 26 minutes. The Festival de Cannes lists 206 minutes for the 2023 film; Apple TV’s US catalog gives the equivalent runtime as 3 hours 26 minutes.
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Does the runtime feel worth it?
The Associated Press review, published October 18, 2023, treats the runtime as a point viewers may debate while arguing that the story and craft justify the length. That is one reviewer’s judgment, not a measure of audience consensus. It is a useful way to frame the decision: the film’s duration is substantial, and its case for that duration rests on the weight of the story and the performances rather than on speed.
The most specific praise in the AP review is for Gladstone’s work. The reviewer calls her “the emotional core here” and says it is “her face that stays etched in our memory.” That emphasis fits the film’s focus on Mollie: the larger pattern of murders is tied to the life of a woman trying to survive it. For viewers drawn to character-led drama and patient storytelling, that focus may make the long runtime feel purposeful. Those looking for a brisk crime plot should expect a much longer commitment.
Rank #2
Who should watch it—and who may prefer the book?
The film is a strong fit for viewers interested in Scorsese’s crime dramas, performances by Gladstone, DiCaprio and De Niro, or a story that brings an intimate relationship into contact with a broader pattern of violence. Its 3-hour-26-minute length is a real consideration, so it is best approached when you can give it an uninterrupted viewing.
Readers who want to explore the investigation behind the film can turn to David Grann’s nonfiction book, the source for the adaptation. The official film materials establish that relationship, but the film and book should not be assumed to have identical emphasis.
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Quick Recap
Rank #4
Rank #3
![[By David Grann] Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI (Hardcover)【2018】by David Grann (Author) (Hardcover)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51OkwXrprSL._SL160_.jpg)
- NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST - AMAZON EDITORS' PICK FOR THE BEST BOOK OF 2017
- "Disturbing and riveting...It will sear your soul." —Dave Eggers, New York Times Book Review
- From New Yorker staff writer David Grann, #1 New York Times best-selling author of The Lost City of Z, a twisting, haunting true-life murder mystery about one of the most monstrous crimes in American history
- In the 1920s, the richest people per capita in the world were members of the Osage Indian nation in Oklahoma. After oil was discovered beneath their land, they rode in chauffeured automobiles, built mansions, and sent their children to study in Europe. Then, one by one, the Osage began to be killed off. The family of an Osage woman, Mollie Burkhart, became a prime target. Her relatives were shot and poisoned. And it was just the beginning, as more and more members of the tribe began to die
Film details
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Director | Martin Scorsese |
| Principal cast | Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro and Lily Gladstone |
| Setting and subject | 1920s Oklahoma; murders targeting members of the Osage community after oil was discovered on Osage land |
| Runtime | 206 minutes (3 hours 26 minutes) |
| Source material | David Grann’s bestselling nonfiction book, Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI |
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