The western is probably one of the oldest film genres, having started back in 1903 with The Great Train Robbery. However, it was in the 50s and 60s when westerns were at their peak, which many consider the golden age. Films like The Searchers, Rio Bravo, The Magnificent Seven, and True Grit dominated the genre, though there were some exceptions. You also had the Spaghetti Western, which were known for their gritty realism and bloody violence. Some notable examples included Sergio Leone’s Man with No Name trilogy and Once Upon a Time in the West. However, as the decades rolled on and trends changed, the western started to die off. There was a resurgence in the 90s with movies like Unforgiven and Tombstone, but that slowed down in the 2000s. Then, in the 2010s, we started getting cross-genre westerns, including Cowboys and Aliens, Django Unchained, and today’s feature, Bone Tomahawk.
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Set in the 1890s, our story focuses on a group of characters in the small Western town of Bright Hope. One night, a drifter named Purvis (David Arquette) wanders into town after his partner Buddy (Sig Haig) is killed. After being spotted by deputy sheriff Chicory (Richard Jenkins), Purvis is confronted by Sheriff Hunt (Kurt Russell) at the saloon. Purvis ends up getting shot in the leg trying to escape and is subsequently thrown in jail. With the doctor indisposed, his assistant Samantha (Lilli Simmons) is brought in to treat the wounds. Unfortunately, Purvis ends up accidentally leading a group of cannibalistic natives to the town, and they kidnap him and Samantha. Hunt then assembles a rescue group, including Chicory, Samantha’s husband Arthur (Patrick Wilson) and local womanizer Brooder (Matthew Fox). They race off to try and save the kidnapped townsfolk from a horrible fate as well as survive.
Cutting right to it, this is a fantastic film, not only as a western, but as a film in general. The first thing I have to compliment this film on is the amazing cast that’s been assembled. While Kurt Russell certainly dominates the film as he usually does, the rest of the cast is also phenomenal. Patrick Wilson, Matthew Fox, and Richard Jenkins play their parts so well that they feel like fully realized people. In addition, the story and pacing are incredibly well-done, giving plenty of time to the characters before the action starts. Admittedly, the film can be a bit slow at times, but the characters are so engaging that you’re never bored. You really get a sense of the struggles these character go through, and you want to see them survive. Once the action finally picks up, it’s a pretty intense ride.
When the cannibals come into the story, it almost becomes a completely different movie, which might put some off. It’s almost like one minute you’re watching Shane, then the next you’re watching Cannibal Holocaust. That said, this movie mixes the two genres so well that it never feels like tonal whiplash. If anything, it raises the stakes and makes things even more intense, making you wonder how they’re going to survive. For a first-time director, S. Craig Zahler films the movie so well, you’d swear he was a veteran. You can tell he’s done his research and he clearly has a love for both the western and horror genres. But while he certainly takes influence from Sergio Leone and John Ford, it never feels like he’s just lifting elements. In the end, even if you’re not a fan of westerns, Bone Tomahawk is a remarkable film not to miss.
