Is It Based on a True Story?

With Killers of the Flower Moon out, fans want more clarity on the Osage Murders. Many want to know if the film is based on a true story. Here’s a breakdown of the Osage Murders and the film’s inspiration.

Is Killers of the Flower Moon based on a true story?

Killers of the Flower Moon is inspired by the novel “Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI,” which is based on true events.

In 2017, American journalist David Grann launched the novel, which described the Osage Native American murders in detail. During the 1910s–30s, oil was found on the land of Osage County, Oklahoma, which led to a series of murders of the Osage Native American tribe members.

From 1918-1931, over sixty wealthy full-blood Osage Natives were reportedly killed, and newspapers described the period between 1921 and 1926 as the “Reign of Terror” due to the increasing number of unsolved murders.

Some reportedly happened to get rid of people who were heirs to future fortunes, while others were committed to take over the oil-producing land and wealth of the Osage Native American members.

The new FBI was assigned to investigate the murders, which were later reported to be in the hundreds. But according to Grann, at least 24 Osage tribal members were murdered to get the “headrights” of the oil on their lands.

How accurate is Killers of the Flower Moon?

While Killers of the Flower Moon film remains fairly accurate on most aspects, it downplays the Osage murders.

The film stays true to the showcasing the wealth of Osage tribal members. But the murders shown in the film were less than what really happened. As per Grann:

“The real murders were less about a singular plot or evil figure with henchmen, but rather many killings that were never properly investigated. Many people were complicit: Doctors with their poison, morticians covering up causes of death, lawmen staying silent. Many conclude the real death toll was in the scores, if not hundreds.”

But in the movie, we mainly see two people behind the scheming against the Osage tribals.

What happened to Leonardo Dicaprio’s Ernest Burkhart in real life?

11 years after the film’s events, Leonardo Dicaprio’s character Ernest Burkhart got out on parole in 1937. However, he kept going in and out of prison after that.

Following his parole in 1937, Burkhart robbed his former sister-in-law and went back to prison in 1941. But in 1966, he was fully pardoned by the Governor of Oklahoma after being granted parole once again. Then, in 1986, he died at the age of 94 after having tried to reconnect with his family.

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