Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon” is long, long, long. I was told a while ago that it logged in at nearly four hours. Now Deadline says it’s down to three hours, twenty six minutes.
“Killers” is supposed to premiere in Cannes on Saturday, May 20th. But even if the film unfurls at 6pm sharp, it will take up the entire evening on the Croisette. And “sharp” is not a term heard a lot at Cannes events. In all likelihood, “Killers” won’t start rolling much before 7pm, ending at 10pm with the requisite “fifteen minute standing ovation” that accompanies every film.
The Flower Moon won’t be the only thing the Scorsese film kills off. All parties and events connected to the actual festival will take a hit, too. By 10:15pm that crowd will be ravenous and not looking forward to a half hour ride to the Hotel du Cap Eden Roc or Antibes in general. Apple and Paramount may have to feed their guests right on the spot!
The length of “Killers” is not unprecedented. Back in 2008, Steven Soderberg unveiled his movie about Che Guevara, shot in natural light and lasting four hours and change. There was even a bathroom break. The great publicist Peggy Siegal brought a buffet in her large handbag with crackers and cheese. She was the most popular person in the Palais!