Bone
Tomahawk is a Wonderfully Horrific Western Road Trip
by
Kristin Battestella
For audiences that don't like westerns or straight, terse drama, the opening half of the 2015 genre bender Bone Tomahawk will be too slow. However, for viewers seeking gritty period pictures and horror films set in unique places, this is definite yes!
While
tending to the crazed and wounded outlaw Purvis (David Arquette),
Samantha O'Dwyer (Lili Simmons) is abducted by a mysterious, hear
tell tribe of nameless, ruthless cave dwellers the local Native
Americans fear and avoid. Nonetheless, Bright Hope Sheriff Franklin
Hunt (Kurt Russell), his elderly deputy Chicory (Richard Jenkins),
and local gunslinger John Brooder (Matthew Fox) mount a rescue.
However, foreman Arthur O'Dwyer (Patrick Wilson) is also determined
to join the mission to save his wife despite a broken leg that has
kept him off the work trail. It's a dangerous ride with raiders,
injuries, and rough terrain testing the posse's prayers, convictions,
and mettle – yet more primitive, gruesome, bone chilling horrors
are in store...
Not
Your Average Western
“Flies
buzzing” is the first caption of writer and director S. Craig
Zahler's (The Incident)
two hour and thirteen minute festival darling, and those words set
the tone for the throat slicings, body crunching, and bleak western
horrors viewers aren't supposed to see coming. This is just the
lawless ways of the 1890s frontier – robberies and thieving never
mind those skulls on torches and Indian burial grounds. The people in
this era were gun belt wearing badasses, nothing more than the Wild
West is supposed to be happening, right? Howling wolves and spooked
horses invoke a western realism, and we expect to see this ironic but
charming Old West gritty. The nearby Bright Hope pioneer town
provides quaint Victorian interiors, polite men escorting women at
night, and a laid back, boots up, playing checkers comfort. However,
Bone Tomahawk has
no rousing music and sweeping pans or thriving, progressive hustle
and bustle to its town. Despite respectful and articulate mannerisms,
there's a gruff to these voices. The empty edge of white civilization
is relatively silent with no ritzy to its saloon and a drunken
piano player in need of whiskey to finish his ten cent tunes.
Although side actions are told rather than seen, that hearsay
unreliability adds to the lack of knowing what really occurred, and
excising this surplus action builds surprise for when abrupt
shootouts and violent confrontations do happen. Suddenly, missing
livestock, mysteriously empty jail cells, and torn up bodies add to
this isolated town's crimes and scares.
Arrows
in the dark and shadowy figures suggest Indian suspects to the
frontier folk, but even friendly Native American scouts fear this no
language, nameless troglodyte tribe with behaviors more beast-like
than of men. Although
everyone looks the part
in Bone Tomahawk and
we believe these rugged but civilized
men forming a revenge posse can handle what's out there, these old
fashioned heroes on white horses are facing some untold, cave
dwelling ruthlessness. Bone
Tomahawk is
very well acted with
quality players audiences may not expect would do this kind of
seemingly smaller western or horror fair. Hopefully, one recognizes a
good script when he sees it, for time is taken to get to know these
excellent characters as individuals. Strong banter and a period sense
of courage add dimension among the not so unblemished men before the
primitive horrors add new terror to the traditional western rescue.
Prayers about the campfire, dry humor, personality – viewers
quickly come to like these boys, and we're rooting for them in a
pursuit already struggling against the usual trail perils such as
gangrene, raiders, and dead horses. There's a simmering, on edge at
night when the posse bed downs. We don't know what's going to happen
next any more than they know what awaits in the dark. Will such
ongoing strain and the agony of travel get to one of them? The
exhaustion and hopelessness add tension, arguing, pointing fingers –
this is a terse, escalating journey whether the troglodyte horrors
are ahead or not. Difficult group decisions must be made amid cynical
thoughts and suspicions on what heavy tolls are inevitably happening
to the captured. Of course, those horrors are worse than the rescuers
of Bone Tomahawk could
ever imagine. Survival
is slim all around, yet they forge on to face the intense man versus
man, man versus nature, and man versus himself battles.
Nail-biting
pocket watch ticking and ominous horns blowing in the wind make the
audience pay attention as Bone
Tomahawk switches
from bright tumbleweeds, dangerous expanse, and western perils to
dark caves, trapped interiors, sudden sieges, otherworldly
screeching, and harrowing wounds. Yes, there is an hour and a half
onscreen before the film horrors arrive – that's the length of most
quick horror productions. One could also argue there is no need for
an entire movie's worth of western study ahead of such horror. Some
viewers may want to see the western in itself alone without a horror
finale or vice versa. There are several flaws in the final act
regarding logistics and implausibilities as well, but the onscreen
terrors in Bone Tomahawk
forgive
any contrivances. We
appreciate the deaths, sacrifices, and final cigars before the
goodbyes more because we are totally invested in seeing these
characters through whatever comes at them in final forty minutes. All
that has happened is summed up in few terrifying sentences –
arousing all our fears of violation, injury, and desecration and
leaving all the heroics we have previously seen for naught. The
unpleasant nudity will
not be soon forgotten by anyone who sees this movie, and a countdown
of kills adds to the hopelessness. Who's next? The tedium of waiting
is at times far worse, and silly discussions fill the interim between
the unknown time when life and death is imminent. The horror and
fantastics may be tough for the realistic western audiences to
accept, however, Bone
Tomahawk is
a brilliant and complete
before, during, and after emotional experience with rubber necking
can't look away and a realistically cringe worthy not often seen in
today's cinema.
A
Fine Ensemble
Despite
a calm exterior and seemingly quiet post, Sheriff Kurt Russell
(Overboard)
has the mustache to match the grit in Bone
Tomahawk. Franklin
Hunt is a wise, relaxed, old fashioned lawman who's good at his job
but nonetheless indulges his old deputy when a stranger's
manner is suspicious. Sheriff Hunt doesn't think there's much hope in
rescuing those abducted, and his wife objects to the journey, too.
However, he is going to see his mission through regardless. Hunt
prepares as best possible – he knows they need to care for
themselves, their horses, and keep their wits about them to trump any
thieves or beasties and do what needs to be done. Polite even when
the circumstances turn barbaric, Hunt also knows Arthur O'Dwyer
shouldn't come on this rescue with a broken leg, yet he doesn't
bother asking for the objection. Russell gives a wonderfully poignant
performance, and it's bittersweet to see a man unchanged, doing what
he sets out to do, and keeping his word whether the beholden are
there to know his convictions or not. Likewise, Patrick Wilson (The
Conjuring)
has become a pleasing go to horror actor. Arthur's a strong foreman
not used to being laid up at home thanks to injury – nor his
doctor's assistant wife being on top in the bedroom. Arthur doesn't
share his emotions well and has difficulty talking with her, but his
love and tenderness are unquestionable. He rides on this mission,
learning how to handle his broken leg and show his tears while on the
move. Wilson brings to life Arthur's contradictory behaviors as the
desperate husband comes to rely more on opium than prayer to go
forward. How can he continue as his injury worsens? We may not think
of such breaks, splints, and pain as being so difficult today, but in
this wilderness, love is not enough to mount a rescue – or is it?
Arrogant
and vain but no less witty and likable gunslinger Matthew Fox (Lost)
is the suave, white suit wearing sophisticate of Bone
Tomahawk. John Brooder says
he's the most intelligent man there and this rescue needs his smarts,
fast shot, and fancy gunnery. Though not always as right as he thinks
he is, there is a grain of truth to his tactics when it comes to
making camp or taking defensive positions. Unfortunately, his
suspicions on outsiders, potential theft, and his shoot first, ask
questions later mentality doesn't always help. Eventually, there are
consequences to this quick draw attitude, and while he has good
reason to hate certain Indians, Brooder gains sad respect for his
horse and learns to trust his compatriots. By contrast, aged deputy
Richard Jenkins (Six Feet
Under) is not on his game
but Chicory will continue to do his duty nonetheless – even if he
can't figure out something as simple as how to read a book in the
bathtub without getting the paper wet. He talks too much, sometimes
adding dry humor and reflection or philosophical speculation, but
again, such seemingly random conversation helps fill the idle and
take one's mind off the impending horrors. Chicory is slightly off
his rocker yet remains the voice of reason and moral center of the
group – a lovely audience anchor pondering what we too are
thinking. Although their scenes may seem slightly out of place,
humorous but ruthless and hands on killer David Arquette (Scream)
and expert throat slitter Sid Haig (House
of 1000 Corpses) have some
warped fun to open Bone
Tomahawk, and
their offbeat charm bookends the horror.
Fine
older white men though
they are, Bone Tomahawk is
unfortunately a picture populated with precious
few women. Despite being a respectable wife and doctoring assistant
named Sam, Lili Simmons (Banshee)
is nude fifteen minutes into the movie and feels out of place
compared to the more developed male characters. Broadly swinging the
pendulum from tender wife to bitchy snob, Sean Young's (Blade
Runner) uppity, domineering
mayor's wife is addressed on the situation instead of her little
husband. These frontier women are tough pioneers yet remain sickly or
put in their place with sex from their man, and even with these injun
abducting the womenfolk fears, the audience sees too little of them
to feel a personal investment. Big shocker – the few African
American stable hands and servants are killed early in Bone
Tomahawk, and
Mexican moments or brief Spanish words are treated with xenophobic
suspicion. Horses are more important than questioning the death of
foreigners, but there are onscreen arguments about whether such
reactions are right or wrong, fortunately utilizing the ills of the
time for layered social commentary. More importantly, Bone
Tomahawk makes
the distinction between its horror neanderthal savages and local
Native Americans,
recognizing this is not normal tribe behavior whilst also implying
the Manifest Destiny trespassing of the so called Bright Hope should
have left the area alone. Locals knew to steer clear, but did the
supposedly smart and superior white man? Nope.
Must
See Looks
Old
fashioned suits, cowboy hats, and late Victorian décor add to the
frontier town woodwork and simplicity in Bone
Tomahawk. Proper
beds and an oil lamp patina with quills, books, a magnify glass, and
period ephemera create a would be civilized and golden interior. I
almost wish this was a television series to revisit and explore!
However, natural sounds, horses, creaking wood, and swinging saloon
doors add a lawless atmosphere alongside the beautiful, but untamed
outdoor scenery. Precious few weeping strings and fiddlery accent
choice bittersweet moments and echoing gunshots. While animal action,
well edited attacks, and on the move tracking shots do capture the
restlessness when it happens, Bone
Tomahawk is
a simple tale simply shot with no need for the sweeping panoramas and
whirlwind camerawork often seen in expansive westerns or period
pieces going for scope rather than inward terror. Gruesome
frontier surgeries, scalping, disemboweling or worse provide enough
horror gore while the briefly see beastly men leave room for the
audience to imagine more fears. Their natural camouflage, animal
trophies, horned masks, and primal, swift moving resistance to bullet
grazes completes the disorienting civilized versus uncivilized
frights. Subtitles are necessary for any whispering, but the Bone
Tomahawk blu-ray
release also provides plenty of deleted scenes, featurettes, and film
festival Q&As with cast and crew. Unfortunately, it is just
baffling when finely crafted pictures such as this are overlooked by
the major movie awards. Tsk tsk.
Though
worth seeing for the uniqueness alone, this R/Unrated horror is not
for everyone. Instead of a cheap slasher with teens in minimum
Victorian dressings, this is a niche western brimming with scares we
don't expect. Granted, Bone
Tomahawk has
many of the same flaws
seen again and again with a one and the same writer/director who has
no soundboard on what to do or not do. The lengthy run time could
have been trimmed further and some scenes should have been more
swiftly paced. Bone Tomahawk
is
also oddly structured as two
halves of two different movies – leading with a western character
study uninteresting to audiences expecting fast shootouts, boobs, and
horror a minute. In fact, most viewers will be unaccustomed to having
time dedicated to such full embodied and well developed characters.
However, we should embrace this kind of ingenuity not bury it and
push pictures like this to fringe audiences, and I would rather have
a few slow scenes with extra time to achieve a cinematic vision than
a butchered PG-13 picture sacrificing its meaty for maximum cinema
screenings and more almighty millions. Despite a blink and you missed
it limited box office release, Bone
Tomahawk is
currently available on several rental and streaming
options. Go into Bone Tomahawk cold for full
immersion into the fine performances, western drama, Deliverance
effectiveness, and
entertaining horror.
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