Martin Scorsese Defends Brendan Fraser's Killers Of The Flower Moon Performance Amid Mixed Reviews

The actor stars opposite Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro in the crime-drama film.
Brendan Fraser (R) stars in Martin Scorsese's (L) "Killers of the Flower Moon."
Brendan Fraser (R) stars in Martin Scorsese's (L) "Killers of the Flower Moon."
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Amid criticism of Brendan Fraser’s performance in Martin Scorsese’s latest film, Killers Of thT Flower Moon, the iconic filmmaker is making it clear that he has no qualms with the star’s work in his movie.

Brendan’s role as W.S. Hamilton, a dramatic attorney for Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio’s characters, has so far garnered mixed reviews from fans and critics.

However, Scorsese said that in his eyes, the Academy Award winner was “perfect” in the part and “great to work with”.

“We thought he’d be great for the lawyer, and I admired his work over the years,” Scorsese told LADBible.

“We had a really good time working together, particularly with Leo. Particularly in the scene where he says, ‘They’re putting a noose around your neck, he’s saving you, dumb boy.’”

Scorsese added: “He brought the whole scene down on Leo. It was perfect. And he had that girth. He’s big in the frame at that time. He’s a wonderful actor.”

The director’s comments haven’t stopped Brendan’s controversial performance from sparking a debate on social media. Some fans on X, formerly Twitter, praised his acting skills while others slammed his over-the-top delivery:

It’s baffling to me that people have taken issue with Brendan Fraser’s performance in Killers of the Flower Moon. Aside from it being historically accurate (by all accounts) he’s the boisterous mask of nobility!

— woke chiropractor (@klintrulez) November 4, 2023

as someone who admired brendan fraser's acting in the movie the whale, his acting in killers of the flower moon was one of the worst acting performances i have ever seen in my life.pic.twitter.com/tX741uHNEt

— voleysun (@messyandhappy) October 22, 2023

I didn’t care for Brendan Fraser’s performance in the Killers of the Flower Moon but I appreciated his presence if that makes sense.

— Jane 🎞 (@BandyBrrr) November 3, 2023

Also, having seen Killers of the Flower Moon, I'm on team "Brendan Fraser understood the assignment".

Like, he is over the top, but the scenes he's in are already kind of over the top and are meant to be jarring.

— 🦃 Christian Hannah 🦃 (@TheHannahcast) October 30, 2023

Brendan Fraser is so good in Killers of the Flower Moon

— A (@_willemdafhoe) November 3, 2023

watching killers of the flower moon for the second time and Brendan Fraser is sooo bad 😭😭😭

— Velaryon enthusiast 🌊🌙 (@BaelaRhaena) October 29, 2023

Brendan Fraser in Killers of the flower moon is an amazing surprise

— Jhonatas Santana (@cantstopthinkn_) November 2, 2023

Just watched Killers of the Flower Moon today and as most Scorcese films it's great. It runs long but apart from a bit at the end it doesn't drag. Was positively surprised to see Brendan Fraser there!

— João Marinheiro (@joaomarinheiro) November 5, 2023

There are some tip-offs that a person is miserable and cannot enjoy anything and I think the people talking shit about Brendan Fraser in Killers of the Flower Moon are revealing themselves as such.

— Mr. Howard (@MrHoward) November 3, 2023

Brendan’s performance isn’t the only aspect of the film that’s received pushback.

The film’s lengthy runtime of 3 hours and 26 minutes also received a lot of flack online.

But Scorsese says he isn’t fazed over complaints about how long his film lasts.

“People say it’s three hours, but come on,” the director told The Hindustan Times last month.

“You can sit in front of the TV and watch something for five hours. Also, there are many people who watch theatre for 3.5 hours.”

He added: “There are real actors on stage, you can’t get up and walk around. You give it that respect, give cinema some respect.”

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