Killers Of The Flower Moon Review: 9 Ups & 1 Down

5. Lily Gladstone's Star-Making Performance

Lily Gladstone has been a quietly impressive actress for many years, with especially memorable and evocative performances in the likes of Certain Women and First Cow, but Killers of the Flower Moon will mark the moment at which she's finally, deservedly shot high into the stratosphere.

As Mollie Burkhart, Gladstone doesn't merely portray a prototypical suffering wife archetype.

Sure, Mollie suffers a lot throughout this story as she helplessly witnesses the Osage people around her drop like flies, but Mollie is a rich, textured character brought beautifully to life by Gladstone's superbly restrained performance.

Gladstone says a lot more with facial expressions than she does with words throughout the film, devastatingly selling both Mollie's overpowering sadness and righteous fury at what's happening around her.

Though Gladstone was initially expected to campaign for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar, she's since confirmed that she'll be campaigned as a lead, and honestly, there's a very strong chance she ends up steamrolling Oscar season and taking the statuette home.