Saturday, July 24, 2021

Bone Tomahawk (2015)

 'Bone Tomahawk' is a violent horror western by S. Craig Zahler. It concerns a group of savage, animalistic, apparently language-less natives referred to as 'Troglodites' that even the other Indians want nothing to do with. In the 1890's a couple of outlaws accidently deface their burial grounds, the one that gets away makes it to the town of Bright Hope but is shot in an altercation with the local sheriff (Kurt Russell). The outlaw, a deputy, and the local lady doctor are all abducted from the jail where she is tending to the mans wounds. A local Indian is able to identify where the bad guys came from but won't accompany the rescue party as he is rightly scared. 

Russel, Patrick Wilson, Matthew Fox and Richard Jenkins set out, not all will return. I rather liked the early parts of this film, it's as strong a classic feeling western as you've seen from the 21st century, but the latter part of the film worked less well for me. The tone is odd, this is at heart an exploitation film story but the movie treats everything so straight that there is a disjointedness to the viewing experience. Problematic on a number of levels I still felt that the characters and performances really worked, but could never quite get over the sense of things being out of place. **1/2


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