How to watch Killers of the Flower Moon in two (or more) parts

Martin Scorsese’s compelling, justifiably furious crime epic Killers of the Flower Moon is now available to stream at home on Apple TV Plus, and it’s worth a watch if you haven’t seen it in theaters. Starring Robert De Niro in diabolical uncle mode, Leonardo DiCaprio in tortured idiot mode, and a luminous, movie-stealing, award-winning Lily Gladstone, the film tells the incredible, horrific true story of the massive murder of members of the wealthy Osage tribe. in 1920s Oklahoma. Based on David Grann’s non-fiction bestseller Scorsese’s film focuses on the marriage of Ernest Burkhart (DiCaprio) and Osage heiress Mollie (Gladstone), and the machinations of De Niro’s cattle baron Bill Hale as he tries to secure Mollie’s family’s oil rights. It is a devastating portrait of American complicity, greed and erasure.

But Killers of the Flower Moon is a monster of a film, lasting almost three and a half hours. Many will understandably think about dividing the film into parts to watch at home. If you’re wondering how to fit in this intimidating feeling, Oppenheimer-To cut down on time in your busy life, we’re here to help you with suggestions on the best places to divide the movie into two, three, or even four parts. But first, a word of warning – or perhaps encouragement.

What’s the best way to watch Killers of the Flower Moon?

The optimal viewing experience for Scorsese’s magnum opus is undoubtedly a single viewing. We strongly recommend that you set aside the time and, if possible, remain seated for the duration.

Despite its length, Killers of the Flower Moon was clearly conceived, written and edited as one piece, and splitting it up doesn’t do it too much good. It doesn’t have an episodic structure, unlike Quentin Tarantino’s, for example The Hateful Eight, a feature-length film split into chapters marked by title cards, which the director actually allowed Netflix to release in an approved serialized version. There is also no clear breaking point for a break like that of SS Rajamouli RRRwhich divides neatly in two with a dramatically well-timed fade to black halfway through.

Instead of, Killers of the Flower Moon is structured as a long crescendo. It builds steadily and inexorably, gaining dramatic momentum and an impressive amount of detail, which it then invests in a series of devastating scenes in the final half hour. When you break it down, some of that built-up strength is lost.

While it’s not Scorsese’s most energetic film by any means, it doesn’t drag either. Scorsese and his longtime editor Thelma Schoonmaker have a fluid editing style that eschews establishing shots and downtime in favor of short, interlocking scenes, overlapping audio, and sudden, unpredictable interruptions. Their storytelling has a continuous flow, like a river, and it is difficult to find natural breaking points in it. You may find that you don’t want that.

That said, it’s a practical fact that a 206-minute film is difficult to fit into a normal day, and we don’t want to deter you from watching it in its entirety. So let’s get to the best breakpoints.

The best place to split Killers of the Flower Moon into two parts

The next best way to watch Killers of the Flower Moon is in two parts, and the best place to stop the film is just under the two-hour mark. With this breaking point, the first part of the film is a riveting two hours as you get to know the characters and the setting, and how events spin out of control and end in a dramatic climax. Then part two is a fast-paced 90 minutes focusing on the investigation into the murders and the twisted relationships between Ernest, Mollie and Bill Hale.

For the two-part view, stop the movie at 1:56:24after the scene where Hale explores a wreck with local dignified Pitts Beaty (Gene Jones), and before the scene where Mollie also talks to Beaty in his position as her guardian.

Photo: Melinda Sue Gordon/Apple TV Plus

Without getting into spoiler territory, this breakpoint gives you a minute or two to recover from and process one of the film’s biggest events before quitting. You then move on to Mollie making a decision that will set in motion the events of the second part of the film.

As an added bonus, this break concludes with scenes highlighting Gene Jones’ excellent performance in a small but important character section; in the scene with De Niro he gets to enjoy one of the best lines in the film. And there’s a nice symmetry at the start of part two with a conversation between Mollie and Pitts Beaty about her finances, in an echo of the scene that introduces her character at the start of the film.

How to watch Killers of the Flower Moon as a three-part series

This isn’t as elegant as the two-part solution, but you can choose to look Killers of the Flower Moon in three parts of an hour plus each. Part one establishes the setting and nature of the crimes, and delves into Ernest’s relationship with his uncle, Bill Hale. In part two, the plot reaches its climax and the investigation begins. The drama of part three takes place in interrogation rooms, prison cells and a courtroom.

End part one at 1:15:44after a powerful scene between DiCaprio and De Niro set in a Masonic lodge, and before the scene in which the private detective hired by Mollie is assaulted.

End part two at 2:31:14after the dreamy scene of the ranch fire, and before Ernest’s memorable scene in the barbershop.

How to watch Killers of the Flower Moon as a four-part series

If you’re very short on time and want to split the movie into parts about the length of TV drama episodes (between 40 minutes and an hour), this is the way to go. This is a fragmented way to watch the film, although the pauses in the first part of the film are arguably more dramatic than the first pause in the three-part solution.

In this viewing plan episode one of Killers of the Flower Moon is all set, ending with the first significant death and Hale showing his hand; episode two starts the criminal plot; In episode three the plot begins to unravel and the law becomes involved; and episode four (the same as part three in the three-part plan) is all about the consequences.

End part one at 0:43:50after Hale and Ernest’s conversation at the funeral, and before the big family gathering at Ernest and Mollie’s house.

End part two at 1:35:35after the family dinner at Hale’s house, and before Ernest’s proposal to John Ramsey (Ty Mitchell).

End part three at 2:31:14after the dreamy scene of the ranch fire, and before Ernest’s memorable scene in the barbershop.