Let’s Talk About That Massive Final Cameo

It’s common for directors to give themselves cameos in their movies, as evidenced by the likes of M. Night Shyamalan and Quentin Tarantino. Martin Scorsese also falls into that camp, going all the way back to his 1967 film, «Who’s That Knocking at My Door.» His cameos have often been uncredited, taking on a blink-or-you’ll-miss-it quality, but that’s not the case with his role in «Killers of the Flower Moon.» He literally takes center stage, almost demanding the audience’s attention, making sure they listen to what happened to Mollie Burkhart.

Not many directors could get a 206-minute epic Western featuring a large indigenous cast with a budget in the neighborhood of $200 million made these days. But few filmmakers are on the same level as Scorsese. He undoubtedly used his reputation to get «Killers of the Flower Moon» greenlit, and his reputation again comes into play in the movie’s final moments when any sense of «entertainment» is stripped away in favor of revealing how Mollie died far too young while King got out of prison and lived for many more years. It’s a moment of reflection, and Scorsese clearly wants people to view movies as an art form and as something greater than a mind-numbing distraction.

In an interview with AP News, Scorsese spoke about his desire to elevate cinema: «The next generation may not see it that way because as children and younger people, they’re exposed to films that are wonderful entertainment, beautifully made, but are purely diversionary. I think cinema can enrich your life.» «Killers of the Flower Moon» is one such enriching experience and one everyone should see on the big screen, with it playing in theaters now.