Director: Garth Davis

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Writers: Iain Reid, Garth Davis

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Stars: Siaorse Ronan, Paul Mescal, Aaron Pierre

 

When we think about films staring Saoirse Ronan and Paul Mescal we think of delicate, intricate, powerfully told stories. Foe had all the makings of being one of those films, but due to its over complicated plot and clunky performances it is possibly one of the worst sci-fi films I’ve ever seen. 

 

The story centres around an artificial intelligence experiment that is designed to create companions for spouses that are left at home when their partner goes to work in a space station. In this case, Junior (Mescal) has been selected whilst Hen (Ronan) is left at home to continue their life without him. Aaron Pierre’s Terrance mysteriously appears at the front door of their farm house to explain what is going to happen and that Junior will be replaced by an AI version of himself in a years time. As part of the experiment Terrance is to stay with them for the duration to teach and support them in the process. 

We are jumped forward by 1 year to when Junior is to be replaced and the couple go on an emotional journey, trying to adjust and attempting to find a way to deal with this life changing situation. 

As the film moves at a jilted pace, questions arise as bizarre events take place. The final act evolves with a somewhat twist and all becomes clearer. 

 

We are teased with interesting space exploration and post apocalyptic ideas which are all completely squashed and overshadowed by unnecessary sex scenes and …a chicken factory? 

 

It is convoluted, pacy and completely all over the place from the off. Jam packed with unnecessary metaphors with a severely over exposed script and overzealous performances. Mescal gets a moment to shine with a powerful monologue, the contents of which are completely displaced. The screenplay unnecessarily fills all of the quiet moments with drivelling dialogue and causes what is already an intentionally confusing plot with further confusion. 

 

The performances from both Mescal and Ronan are reliably good, however even their talents can’t shine to their full potential due to the mess of the script. 

 

Foe has absolutely no idea what story it is trying to tell, over exposed plot points and lack of explanation where needed. I’m still questioning the point of the experiment in the first place. 

 

A disappointing attempt at what could have been a fascinating story. 

Leonardo DiCaprio and Lily Gladstone lead the cast in this epic crime drama telling the true story of the oppression of Native Americans during the oil boom of the 1920s. 

The film opens with Ernest Burkhart (DiCaprio) returning to America after serving abroad and moving in with his brother Byron (Scott Shepherd) and their uncle, William Hale (Robert De Nero). Ernest earns an honest living as a taxi driver, where he meets Mollie (Lily Gladstone) a full blooded Osage. When William finds out Ernest and Mollie have developed a friendship, he persuades Ernest to marry her to gain access to her tribes oil laden land. 

 

In a painful and brutal turn of events, members of the Osage tribe are mysteriously killed off one by one, including Mollie’s mother and sisters. It’s made apparent from the off that these murders are being ignored by authorities and Mollie takes it upon herself to instigate an investigation. Once the white men catch wind of Mollies movements, they endeavour to ensure she can no longer carry on with her investigations by the cruelest means possible. 

 

Eventually, Molly and her family call upon a senior member of the FBI, Tom White (Jesse Plemons) to aid her in the search for the killers and in doing so, Ernest gets arrested and tried for his involvement in the murders. 

 

The story unfolds with twists and turns, heartbreaking moments and emotional beats, all powerfully brought together with Gladstone’s incomparable performance. 

 

Based on the book of the same name by historian author David Grann, the attention to detail throughout the film is not lost. Constant respect is shown to the Native Americans throughout the film, forming a meta comparison to the infamous lack of respect shown to the tribes during the oil boom and still to this day. The film touches on incredibly sensitive subjects whilst paying tribute to those that continue to be oppressed in North America. 

 

The film is epic and huge. The three and a half hour runtime feels exhausted at points with the story’s slow burn nature, and huge plot points are revealed far too early to hold on to any form of mystery. However, it tells the story well and the outstanding performances glue everything together in a meaningful and likely award winning fashion. 

 

This historical epic is beautifully shot and supported by a breathtaking score from longtime collaborate with Scorsese, Robbie Robertson, who sadly passed this year. Killers of the Flower Moon is a film on seismic proportion, likely to be compared to past epics like Laurence of Arabia and Gone With the Wind, Scorsese knows his craft and continues to take risks in this cinematic epic for the ages.