Oscar-winning director Martin Scorsese’s 2023 film, Killers of the Flower Moon, has a runtime of almost 3.5 hours, and it won’t be lowered. While some fans think this is long, Scorsese says people should “give cinema some respect” and enjoy the film regardless of runtime.
In an interview with the Hindustan Times, Scorsese elaborated by saying, “People say it’s three hours, but come on, you can sit in front of the TV and watch something for five hours…also, there are many people who watch theatre for 3.5 hours. There are real actors on stage, and you can’t get up and walk around.”
It’s important to note that Scorsese’s preceding film, The Irishman (2019), which was released directly on Netflix after a limited theatrical release, was even longer.
Killers of the Flower Moon is a story based on a book of the same name by writer David Grann. In typical fashion, the novel covers so many specifics, depth, and material that book fans may wonder what might get changed or cut for the movie release.
The film will tell the real-life narrative of the murder of Osage members in Oklahoma during the early 1900s. Massive deposits of oil were found beneath the land, and members of this group were systematically exterminated. The story covers not just the murders but the response of Washington’s political leaders and the formation of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Killers of the Flower Moon stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Ernest Burkhart, Robert De Niro as William Hale, Lily Gladstone as Mollie Burkhart, and Jesse Plemons as Tom White. It is set to release in theaters on October 20 and will arrive on Apple TV+ later.