The writer of Taxi Driver wishes DiCaprio played a cop in Killers of the Flower Moon

Despite it being one of the best received films of 2023, Killers of the Flower Moon has still received its first share of criticism, with its 3 hours and 26 minutes runtime being a major factor.

A notable figure in the film industry who has recently leveraged criticism at the film is Taxi Driver writer, Paul Schrader, who has claimed he wished DiCaprio played the role of a cop in the film. In an interview with France's Le Monde, he said:

'"Marty compares me to a Flemish miniaturist. He would be more the type who paints Renaissance frescoes. Give him $200 million, a good film will inevitably come out of it. That said, I would have preferred Leonardo DiCaprio to play the role of the cop in Killers of the Flower Moon rather than the role of the idiot. Spending three-and-a-half hours in the company of an idiot is a long time."

As highlighted by Comic Book, Socresese recently defended the film's lengthy runtime when speaking with Hindustan Times.

"In the case of Killers of the Flower Moon, it should be seen on the big screen. Are we intending to make a blockbuster? No, we're making a movie, which should watched on the big screen. Other pictures I made? Maybe not. Sometimes, it's the strength of the picture too, if it plays well on a smaller screen, that's interesting. Killers could play on a small screen, but in order to truly immerse yourself, you should take out the time. People say it's three hours, but come on, 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. There are real actors on stage, you can't get up and walk around. You give it that respect, give cinema some respect."