Bone Tomahawk

Let's get the warnings out of the way first: there are some very confronting images of violence in Bone Tomahawk. I saw it with friends, and one of them was made very uncomfortable by a particular scene. You'll know it when you see it, I think. However, most of those confronting moments come in the last act, and the majority of the film is a much lower-key affair; more of a character study in a lot of ways, with plenty of scenes that allow us to see characters interacting with each other and establishing their relationships. This is all very deftly handled and may be one of my favourite elements of the film. In just a few short scenes between the husband and wife before she is abducted, the movie establishes that a strong and sincere bond of love connects the two of them. This makes the hardship he undergoes to attempt her rescue feel much more plausible and real. The friendship between the Sheriff and his 'back up deputy' is also very nicely drawn. If you can handle the grisly parts, I think Bone Tomahawk is worth a look.

I wonder which came first Kurt Russell's character, quirky western character's and the clever Dialog in S. Craig Zahler's film or Kurt Russell's character, quirky western character's and the clever dialog in Quentin Tarantino's Hateful 8. Both were enjoyable, but this violent under-bubbler deserves praise for creating a town and country that could have been explored more and done more with. The film introduced characters and then walked away from them (the Indian Indian Expert and then at then ended a little weaker but they left it wide open to sequels. Warning pretty Graphic Butchery scene .....I always wondered how them "damn Savages did it".

The bouts of sudden and intense violence set this film apart from other westerns in lending it a near-horror tonality at times. That said, this is still firmly in classical westerns territory, much to the film's credit. Well shot and acted all around. Richard Jenkins in particular does a great job at selling his often overwritten monologues, which could have been hammy in less skilled hands. The cave dwelling enemies of the film are a little bit exaggerated in their monstrous appearance, but despite the exploitative nature of it, it works for the film; the mutated howls from a body modification that they sport is particularly good at creating tension. Good for fans of either classic horrors or classic westerns, great for fans of both, not recommended for the squeamish.