Killers of the Flower Moon is an upcoming epic Western drama directed by Martin Scorsese. The film premiered at the 76th Cannes Film Festival in May 2023 and ended with a standing ovation from the crowd. It’s based on the nonfiction book of the same name by David Grann and is expected to be a front-runner at the Academy Awards next February. Even at a whopping 206 minutes, Killers of the Flower Moon is going to be one of Scorsese’s most sweeping and exciting movies.
The story of how the movie was made goes back to 2016 when Imperative Entertainment scored the rights to adapt Grann’s book. Like many films, Killers of the Flower Moon was pushed back multiple times because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Eventually, Apple TV+ and Paramount Pictures picked up the tab to finish and distribute the movie. It hits theaters on October 20, 2023, and features some of the best actors in the business. Here are some of their previous films that are worth checking out.
10 Sturgill Simpson – Queen & Slim
Music fans know Sturgill Simpson as the alt-country crooner who writes creative songs and knows how to play some mean licks on guitar. He’s also an accomplished actor, with a handful of major motion picture cameos under his belt. In Killers of the Flower Moon, Simpson plays Henry Grammer, a man who was accused of being involved in the conspiracy of the Osage murders. In real life, Grammer’s involvement was not proven at the time of his death in 1923.
Simpson’s best role was in the heist film Queen & Slim in 2019. After an awkward Tinder date, “Queen” (Jodie Turner-Smith) and “Slim” (Daniel Kaluuya) drive home together. Simpson played Police Officer Reed, a racist cop who pulls the couple over for no reason. The situation escalates and Slim ends up shooting the officer. Simpson plays the part well, leaving the viewer infuriated that an overzealous cop once again comes out looking like the victim.
9 Lily Gladstone – First Cow
Lily Gladstone is an American actress who was born in Montana and grew up on the reservation of the Blackfeet Nation. Killers of the Flower Moon is her first big-budget motion picture as well as her first time working with Scorsese. In the film, she plays Mollie Burkhart, a woman in the Osage tribe that is being rocked by mysterious murders.
Gladstone’s most memorable movie to date is 2020’s First Cow. It’s about a group of dairy farmers in Oregon in the early 1800s who are trying to survive on the only cow they have. Gladstone plays the wife of Chief Factor, a wealthy English trader. First Cow earned rave reviews and is considered one of the best movies of 2020.
8 Leonardo DiCaprio – The Revenant
Leonardo DiCaprio is one of Hollywood’s most accomplished actors. He’s appeared in countless Academy Award-nominated films, such as Titanic, The Aviator, and The Wolf of Wall Street, to name a few. In Killers of the Flower Moon, he stars as Ernest Burkhart, the man who conspires to kill members of the Osage tribe to inherit the oil rights for their land.
It’s almost impossible to pick one DiCaprio movie as his best. Everyone has their favorites, but the one movie that stands out is The Revenant. It’s about a man who is attacked by a bear and left to die by his comrades. DiCaprio finally won an Oscar for Best Actor for the role after many nominations, ending the debate about whether he was one of the best actors of his generation or not.
7 Scott Shepherd – Dark Phoenix
Scott Shepherd is a character actor who a lot of people have probably seen but don’t recognize. Like many actors, he got his start in theater and appeared in productions by The Wooster Group in New York City. Shepherd has since been in TV shows like The Last of Us and The Young Pope, bringing a sense of realism and intensity to the limited roles he’s had thus far. He plays Bryan Burkhart, brother of accused murderer Ernest Burkhart, in Killers of the Flower Moon.
Outside of television, Scott Shepherd’s most notable movie is Dark Phoenix, the 20th Century Fox production that tells the story of Jean Grey and how she discovers her mutant powers. In the movie, Shepherd plays Jean’s dad, John Grey. The movie only holds a 22% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but a lot of fans think Dark Phoenix wasn’t that bad.
6 Jason Isbell – Deadwood: The Movie
Jason Isbell is another alt-country musician who will be appearing in Killers of the Flower Moon. Isbell is an established star in the folk scene, having released nine studio albums including six with his backing band, the 400 Unit. In the movie, Isbell plays Bill Smith, an ally of the Osage tribe who is murdered when a bomb planted underneath his house goes off.
Isbell’s film and TV credits are few and far between, but the one movie he’s been in that has earned considerable attention is Deadwood: The Movie. Based on the HBO show of the same name, the film sees the characters reuniting after ten years apart to celebrate South Dakota’s statehood. Isbell has a small cameo in the movie as a wedding guest, which makes Killers of the Flower Moon his first big role in a feature film.
5 Brendan Fraser – The Whale
Brendan Fraser has been experiencing a career resurgence as of late. After staring in a string of popular 1990s movies including The Mummy, George of the Jungle, and Encino Man, Fraser faded into obscurity and didn’t have a hit movie for quite some time. In 2022, he returned to acting in Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale with a performance that had audiences talking.
The Whale is Fraser’s best movie. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as Charlie, a reclusive teacher who doesn’t like to leave his house because of his weight. He wants to reconnect with his daughter but finds it hard due to the tensions that have been building up between them over the years.
4 Tantoo Cardinal – Dances with Wolves
Tantoo Cardinal is a veteran Canadian actor who is of Cree and Metis heritage. She’s appeared in several major motion pictures including Dances with Wolves, Legends of the Fall, and Wind River. In 2011, she was made a member of the Order of Canada, Canada’s second-highest order, for her contributions towards advancing Aboriginal performing arts in that country.
Cardinal’s best movie is the 1990 movie Dances with Wolves. The film was directed by and stars Kevin Costner and was largely filmed in Cardinal’s native province of Alberta. She plays Black Shawl in the movie, the wife of a tribes person and medicine man Kicking Bird (Graham Greene). Cardinal stars as Lizzie Q, Mollie Burkhart’s mother, in Killers of the Flower Moon.
3 Jesse Plemons – The Power of the Dog
If you’re a pop culture buff, chances are you’ve seen Jesse Plemons on screen a lot lately. The Texan actor has appeared in a ton of movies and shows over the last few years, including tv series like Breaking Bad, Fargo, and Black Mirror, and movies like The Master, Jungle Cruise, and Judas and the Black Messiah, to name a few. In Killers of the Flower Moon, Plemons plays Tom White, an FBI agent called in to investigate William Hale’s (Rober DeNiro) involvement in the Osage tribe murders.
Plemons is also married to Kirsten Dunst, whom he shares the screen within Jane Campion’s 2021 Western film The Power of the Dog. Campion won Best Director for the movie at the Academy Awards. With strong acting, beautiful cinematography, and tense dialogue, The Power of the Dog is Plemons’ best movie, even if his co-star Sam Elliot criticized it for its overtly sexual undertones.
2 John Lithgow – Bombshell
John Lithgow is a legend of the stage and screen. He started acting way back in 1972 and broke through in Brian De Palma’s thriller Obsession in 1976. He’s appeared in countless movies and TV shows since. Kids know Lithgow as the voice of the evil Lord Farquaad in Shrek, while adults will recognize him as the father figure Dick Solomon in 3rd Rock from the Sun.
With such a strong filmography, it’s difficult to pick one John Lithgow movie as his best. His recent turn as Fox CEO Roger Ailes in 2019’s Bombshell is a memorable one. The movie stars Charlize Theron, Nicol Kidman, and Margot Robbie as three women who decide to expose Ailes for years of sexual exploitation and assault. Bombshell earned generally positive reviews and currently holds a respectable 68% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
1 Robert De Niro – Raging Bull
Speaking of legends, there’s no bigger acting legend alive than Robert De Niro. The sheer number of amazing movies he’s starred in is too exhaustive to list, but his most memorable films include Taxi Driver, Goodfellas, The Irishman, The Deerhunter, Heat, and more. De Niro brings his signature accent and swagger to everything he does. In Killers of the Flower Moon, he’s William Hale, a cattleman who’s accused of being involved in the conspiracy to murder members of the Osage tribe.
The debate about the best Rober De Niro movies could go on forever, but the one movie that takes the cake is Raging Bull. De Niro plays middleweight boxer Jake LaMotta, a tough but insecure guy from the Bronx who can’t control his anger management issues. De Niro gained 70 pounds to play LaMotta later in life, and won an Oscar for Best Actor for his efforts.