I’m old enough to remember when TV sucked and you had to go to the movies to catch a thoughtful story. That seems to have reversed. I don’t watch many movies anymore, instead catching fantastic TV such as GAME OF THRONES, TRUE DETECTIVE, THE WIRE and PREACHER.
So imagine my surprise when I caught BONE TOMAHAWK, a film I’d never heard of, on Netflix. It’s an amazing horror-western about a group of men who set out to rescue people abducted by a lost native tribe of sadistic cave-dwelling cannibals.
The writing is brilliant, based on a script by S. Craig Zahler, who also directed. There’s quite a bit of humor and sharp dialogue even in minor throw-away characters. The brilliant cast includes Kurt Russell, Patrick Wilson, Matthew Fox, Richard Jenkins, Lili Simmons, David Arquette, Sid Haig and Sean Young. The result is a very realistic, slow-burn, character-driven western with a very strong horror element.
Highly recommended if you’re looking for something different in the horror genre.
Excellent film! In a lot of ways, this was a sort of transplanting of THE 13TH WARRIOR into a Western context – that sounds like a criticism, but it’s not meant to be. 13TH WARRIOR is a solid, enjoyable movie that’s flat-out perfect in parts, and the idea of civilized man in opposition to barbarism is such a persistent trope that it functions as a sort of umbrella, embracing both movies (in addition to probably dozens of others). What was surprising about this movie was the quiet little moments of humor that occurred along the way…key to almost all of those was Richard Jenkins. Here’s an actor who doesn’t get enough credit – a guy who’s labored in the trenches (so to speak) for a decades-long career, and who has simply tremendous range. Anyone who can do “Dilback” in STEP BROTHERS and the first deputy in this movie – and do them both to perfection – has to be some kind of genius. A “stealth” genius at that – even now, I’m remembering his performance in GOD’S POCKET, which I’d forgotten…but which was also awesome. Another cool little aspect of the movie was its “German-ness.” The white settlement of the West was, of course, a multi-ethnic affair, but the degree of its “German-ness” frequently gets underplayed – possibly because of uncomfortable associations between Germany in the 1930s-1940s and the genocide against the Native Americans. But history is full of facts that I think bear examining…and I find it both interesting and cool that the writer and director – with a surname like Zahler – repeatedly calls out a telescope, nicknamed “the German,” as a key plot device. All in all, a thoroughly enjoyable movie that makes you feel and laugh and think, all while enjoying a “horror” or “action” or “Western” flick. And next to no promotion…hmm.