‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ True Story: How Martin Scorsese Turned the Oklahoma Reign of Terror Into a Story of Love and Betrayal

The new Martin Scorsese picture, Killers of the Flower Moon, opened in theaters across the globe today. And that means quite a few moviegoers are about to learn, many for the first time, about the horrific Oklahoma Reign of Terror.

Based on the 2017 non-fiction book of the same name, with a script co-written by Scorsese and Eric Roth, Killers of the Flower Moon stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Ernest Burkhart, a white man who married a Native American woman named Mollie (played by Lily Gladstone), at the behest of his greed-driven, morally bankrupt uncle (played by Robert De Niro). Not only is this movie the first time DiCaprio, DeNiro, and Scorsese are teaming up, it’s also rounded out with an impressive supporting cast that includes Jesse Plemons, Tantoo Cardinal, Brendan Fraser, John Lithgow, and more.

More than that, Scorsese and his team worked closely with the Native Americans in the Osage Nation in order to accurately depict the story, in addition to casting 44 Osage actors in the film, not including the hundreds of background actors. Let’s get into the Killers of the Flower Moon true story.

Is Killers of the Flower Moon based on a true story?

Yes, Killers of the Flower Moon is based on the true story of the murders in the Osage Nation in the 1920s, which are sometimes called the Oklahoma Reign of Terror.

Over 50 Osage Native Americans—who became some of the wealthiest Americans practically overnight, when they discovered oil on their land—were murdered between the years 1918 to 1931, as part of a plot for white men to inherit the oil-rich land. The case was eventually investigated by an early iteration of the FBI. While many of the murders were never prosecuted, white politician William “King” Hale (played by De Niro in the movie) was convicted for contracting the murders of his nephew’s wife’s family. Hale’s nephew, Ernest Burkhart (DiCaprio), married an Osage woman named Mollie (Gladstone). From 1921 to 1923, Hale and his nephew hired people to kill off Mollie’s sisters and cousins, as well as other Osage folks who may have inherited Mollie’s wealth.

By the time federal agents stepped in to investigate the case, Mollie herself was reportedly exhibiting signs of poisoning, suggesting that her husband was conspiring to kill her as well. In the end, she survived. Hale, his nephew, and other men involved in the case were charged for murder. Ernest testified against his uncle, and Hale was sentenced to life in prison. He was released on parole in 1947, and died in a nursing home in 1962. Ernest was also sentenced to life in prison, paroled in 1937, and then was later arrested for burgalry charges and had his parole revoked. He was eventually paroled again in 1959, and was pardoned in 1966. He died in 1986. Mollie Burkhart died in 1937 at the age of 50, without a clear report on her cause of death.

The script was adapted from David Grann’s 2017 nonfiction book of the same name, although Scorsese rearranged the narrative. Grann structured his book more as a whodunnit crime novel, featuring perspectives from a wide cast of characters, including a heavy emphasis on the FBI investigation led by Tom White (played by Jesse Plemons in the movie). Though initially Scorsese approached the film in the same way, after a big rewrite, the director and co-writer decided to focus on the story of Ernest and Mollie Burkhart, to create a story about love and ultimate betrayal.

In an interview for the Killers of the Flower Moon press notes, Scorsese said he was inspired to make a movie about a “weak character”—aka DiCaprio’s character—after reading the court transcript of Ernest’s testimony. “You have a transcript of Ernest being deposed and he gives his name, says he has no job, says — I’m paraphrasing — ‘I stay in the pool room.’ Now, I grew up with people who stayed in the pool room. Take a young guy who likes to dress up. Every now
and then, he robs people, fools around with other women. I think we can build on that character — a weak character. He can’t confront, or he won’t confront, his uncle, those around him.”

Did the real Ernest Burkhart love Mollie Burkhart?

Whether or not it’s accurate that Ernest really did love his wife—even has he was plotting to kill her entire family and quite possibly her, too—is impossible to say. That’s the way Scorsese chose to tell the story, and it’s certainly a compelling angle. According to an excerpt from Grann’s books, which you can read in The New Yorker, there is some evidence to support the theory that Ernest had some, if not love, at least respect for his wife, as twisted as it may sound.

Grann’s reporting claims that Ernest learned to speak the Osage language, despite the fact that his wife spoke English. Grann wrote, “She suffered from diabetes, and he cared for her when her joints ached and her stomach burned with hunger.  After he heard that another man had affections for her, he muttered that he couldn’t live without her.”

Like Scorsese, Grann is a storyteller. Though his version of events was built on interviews and real-life photographs, a reporter can choose how and when to add flavor to shape a certain narrative. The truth is, Ernest’s true feelings for his wife can never really be known. If he did love her, it didn’t stop him from murdering her family, as he testified himself in court. Some, like Osage language consultant Christopher Cote, who worked on the film, don’t believe that’s real love. “When somebody conspires to murder your entire family, that’s not love,” Cote told The Hollywood Reporter. “That’s just beyond abuse.”