Killers of the Flower Moon ending explained

Based on a “true American story,” Martin Scorsese’s latest film is an over 3-hour epic, so here’s the Killers of the Flower Moon ending explained.

Starring the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro, Scorsese has gone for a big-budget, big-scale epic with his latest feature.

The film’s official synopsis reads “Members of the Osage tribe in the United States are murdered under mysterious circumstances in the 1920s, sparking a major F.B.I. investigation involving J. Edgar Hoover.”

Coming to theaters as well as being streamed exclusively on Apple TV+, here’s everything you need to know about the Killers of the Flower Moon ending. Warning – spoilers ahead!

Killers of the Flower Moon ending: Osage Nation land gets challenged

Throughout its lengthy runtime, Killers of the Flower Moon is setting up its ending for one thing – finding out who is killing the Native American members of the town.

From the moment former soldier Ernest Burkhart (DiCaprio) arrives in town, he quickly becomes embroiled in his uncle’s empire of do-gooding and deceit. While simultaneously appeasing the Osage Nation with resources, support, and superficial friendship, William D. Hale (De Niro) is going behind their backs to have them killed one by one. His aim? Steal Osage land and oil money without the ability to contest it.

For the majority of Killers of the Flower Moon, William is successful. He has the entire town in his pocket, while lazy Ernest is all too eager to do whatever it takes to get easy money. Things become even easier when Ernest marries Mollie (Lily Gladstone), with her sisters and mother all picked off in order to funnel the estate’s money down to her – and then the Burkharts.

After killing Mollie’s sister Reta (JaNae Collins) and her husband in a fatal house explosion, William has the perfect plan in place to set Ernest up to take the fall for the entire operation. Engineering situations for hit men and criminal nuisances to be put behind bars before they let too much information slip. Unfortunately for William – or “King” as he implores Ernest to call him – the plan backfires when Ernest is arrested for murder.

The trial against William and Ernest gets ugly

After Ernest’s arrest, criminal Blackie Thompson (Tommy Schultz) further pushes Ernest’s guilt in front of the FBI, prompting Ernest to be properly confronted with his sins. This starts a will-he-won’t-he relationship for Ernest testifying against his uncle in court, with William himself arrested while Ernest is detained thanks to a stranger overhearing plans in a nearby town.

After trying to take the witness stand, Ernest speaks to William’s lawyer W.S. Hamilton (Brendan Fraser), who claims Ernest as his own client and requests time with him. During a supervised home visit, Hamilton and other white folk in town successfully convince Ernest that William is innocent, suggesting that the FBI has violently brainwashed him.

All fired up to take William’s side, Ernest’s youngest child Anna dies of whooping cough while he’s locked up. This inspires a change of heart in Ernest, who tells William that he wants him nowhere near his children ever again. At the trial, Ernest successfully takes the stand against William but refutes claims that he only married Mollie because William told him it would be easier to get her money. Afterwards, Mollie visits Ernest, questioning him on whether he put anything in her insulin medication.

Killers of the Flower Moon ends as a radio play

Paramount Pictures

The Killers of the Flower Moon ending then replaces trial scenes with a live stage broadcast of a radio play – complete with actors, foley artists, and a full orchestra. The scene is reminiscent of what a true crime podcast might look like today.

Viewers learn about the trial’s ending through voiceovers and letters. William received a life sentence, with the Osage population in town hating him. After a few years, he managed to bribe his way into early release for good behavior, visiting family in Oklahoma despite being banned from the state. He allegedly dies in a nursing facility in Arizona. Ernest also gets a life sentence while being released early, living out his final days with his brother in a trailer park.

Mollie divorces Ernest immediately and remarries a few years later. She dies of diabetes in 1937, which is what she has been sick with throughout the entire film. Scorsese himself appears at the end of the film to read her obituary, mentioning that none of the Osage murders were ever mentioned publicly – despite at least 3 of them being Mollie’s family members.

Killers of the Flower Moon hits cinemas on October 20. Find out more about it here, and you can see more of our upcoming film coverage, check out the hubs below:

Five Nights at Freddy’s | Dune: Part Two | The Marvels | Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes