A new Martin Scorcese movie is always a big deal, and the reviews for his latest, Killers of the Flower Moon, have been typically rapturous: Decider says it's "devastating, provocative and profoundly sad". And now you can see for yourself, because the film is coming to Apple TV+ on 12 January after a few months in cinemas.
There was never any doubt that the film would be streamed on Apple TV, because Apple Studios financed it. But unlike Netflix, whose cinematic releases tend to be fairly limited and short lived, Apple gave the film a few months in movie theatres before making it available to stream.
If like me the prospect of more than three hours (plus trailers and ads) in a cinema seat put you off, the film's streaming debut is good news: if you don't have one of the biggest, best TVs the cinematic experience might not be quite so beautiful but watching Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio is probably going to be a lot more comfortable.
Should you stream Killers of the Flower Moon?
Yes. It's a powerful, nuanced and compelling film based on a true and terrible story: the murder of members of the Osage Nation in Oklahoma in the early 20th century. It's been nominated for a dozen Critics Choice nominations, seven Golden Globes and is expected to feature heavily in the next Oscars.
It's "achingly subtle," says Esquire: "Flower Moon is one of the greatest films Scorcese's ever made". Total Film gave it the full five stars: "Scorcese's western (yes, he's finally made it) delves deep into manifest destiny, greed, racism, neocolonialism and misogyny in a rich, immersive masterclass... that might be some of the best work we've ever seen from all involved."
The Guardian gave it five stars too, calling it "remarkable": "This is an utterly absorbing film, a story that Scorsese sees as a secret history of American power, a hidden violence epidemic polluting the water table of humanity." And while the New Yorker doesn't give star ratings, its review is glowing: with Killers, Scorcese has transformed "a tale of collective and individual crime into a vision of love that is mysterious, almost religious, and ultimately terrifying."
Killers of the Flower Moon will be available to stream on Apple TV+ from 12 January.
