Howdy Folks

Today I want to bring attention to a movie that I find to be something dreams are made of. This movie takes a simple concept done 50 years ago, and ramps it up to 11 without mercy. Along with a star studded cast, great performances, and a story that does not not let you forget how harsh this land is. I am, of course, referring to the 2015  S. Craig Zahler Western Horror Bone Tomahawk. A film I can honestly not give enough praise to, due to my overall love for a majority of that main cast. This movie honestly feels like it could have been made with some of the other classics like The Searchers, The Man who shot Liberty Valence, and The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. Now that seems like a lot to compare it to, but it is honestly that good. So without further ado, lets dive straight into Bone Tomahawk.


Basic Plot: It's the turn of the century, and as a result the final days of the old west. After an outlaw leads a band of cannibal Troglodytes into a small unsuspecting western town called Bright Hope. As night falls, the monsters kidnap several of the townsfolk, including a local ranchers wife. Despite the fact the Rancher has an injured leg, due to an unrelated accident, he demands to join a small rescue party led by the town sheriff, his aging deputy, and a strong willed gunslinger. Thus begins a journey into hell on earth, as the group encounters the savagery of their opponents knows no limits. Can they truly save those who were kidnapped? Or will they fall victim to the savages?

What this movie does right: This movie does alot of things, in regards to paying homage to the westerns that came before it, and creating a genuinely unsettling group of savages. Its takes the trope of man vs savage, but rather than make it seem like this is just Cowboys vs Native Americans, its makes the conflict Cowboys vs Savages. This changes the dynamic a bit from the classic westerns where there was equal ground or room to negotiate with the two sides, to a more one sided fight where the cowboys are at a major disadvantage to that of the savages.
The savages are also very unsettling in appearance and in action, with inhuman battle cries and very monster like visage, they come across as so far from human that you have a hard time believing they are anything but monsters. Their actions reinforce this by how they torture and murder some of their victims. A lot of the time, their victims are dealt with quickly, but the unfortunate few that are subject to torture suffer the most. They are referred to as Troglodytes in this movie and honestly there is no better way to describe them. They are ruthless, and animal like in their actions that they just cant be described in any other words than savage or Troglodyte. I wont say anymore about them, because that would include spoilers.
Another great thing this movie does is really bring home the feeling of isolation in such a wide open space. These cowboys are following a trail into unknown enemy territory and thus have to take watch at night, and prepare to be attacked or attack at any moment. There is a real sense of dread as they grow closer and closer to their goal, but also grants us the sense of hope that they will be victorious.
The effects and makeup are also very top notch, which are always welcomed in a movie like this but not often seen.

What this movie does wrong: If I am completely honest, I cannot find much fault in this movie, if at all. Everything from the acting, to the story, to the Trogs themselves are all very well done. And if I had any complaint it would be going into spoilers, and I dont want to give anyone that option. Its a movie that needs to be seen, because yes it is that good. Honestly the only things I could give out about is certain inconsistencies that dont take away from the film at all, and only serve to show nit picking if I were to.

Performances: I cannot praise the performances enough of this movie. Everyone in this movie puts their all into their parts, and really makes it flow from start to finish. There was not a single person on the screen that I thought was boring, or uninteresting and that is a testament to both acting and good film making. Each performance feels so natural, from the Cowboys to the Trogs, not one actor seems to really half ass their job. This, in my mind, makes the movie that much more enjoyable, as it showcases that each actor was either enjoying themselves or really wanted to work to make this movie as great as it is. Whether its Patrick Wilson playing the injured Rancher, or Kurt Russel playing the brave town sheriff, this movie feels more like a western at times than a horror.

Kills: This movie does not skip on the kills either. Each of them brutal and savage with some of the best kills left till the last half hour of the movie. They (the trogs) use some of the most disturbing and graphic methods to kill their victims towards the end, and its at this moment that we really start rooting for the good guys. It combines the right level of gore and unsettling imagery that really makes a movie like this enjoyable as well as horrifying.

Personal Opinion:
In case its not already obvious from my review of this movie, I loved it. Everything about it made me either smile, cringe, or gasp. This movie is everything you want in a horror, a western, or even a violent movie. Its got a solid group of bad guys, a solid group of heroes, and a pretty great plot that entraps you with its story and holds you attention for its entire run. The performances and kills are also top notch throughout, and really make you feel something when they run into trouble or the worst happens. Its a fantastic movie for a first time director and I cannot praise it enough.

Overall Score: 9.8/10

Watch this movie for the story alone, and you will not be disappointed by what you have watched. It may not be for everyone, but damn it if its not for a lot of people.

Yeah, I saw this film around the time it came out, and it took me be surprise. It mixes horror and western better than anything I've ever seen. It really feels like a good classic Western through most of the film.

I was in it for the western. Pretty sure I wasn't aware of the gory bits beforehand; the GF and I were just looking for a show to watch and I do love me some Western movies.

The part where they saw the guy in half though... Bleagh.

Brutal movie. I really liked it. The cannibals felt like they should have been inspiration for a gnarly version of the white legs

@dragbody
I think they were meant to embody everything that cowboys believed about Native Americans and dialed it up to a whole new level.
Man the White legs looking like that, would have been far more intimidating in my opinion. You could see them really being the salt of the earth and why The Burned man wanted to wipe them out before they became part of the legion. Because that kind of brutality would grow a lot more under the Legion.

@Dmitri2033 Probably not the best date movie hahaha. But yeah its a great movie and that scene, boy was that rough to watch.

@EyeShotFirst Yeah its got a very classic western feel to it. I only saw it after I found out my favorite actor was in it. But that was a little while after it was released. Had so much fun re-watching it.

It has been a while since I have last seen it but from what I can remember all of Zahler's films are pretty slow paced and only really start moving at a fast pace near the end.

Luckily I enjoyed Kurt Russel's part enough to keep it interresting.
The rest of the cast was also really fun to watch.

I wouldn't recommend Dragged Across Concrete to anyone though.

Bone Tomahawk was easily one of the best western movies I've seen in the last few years and the best horror movie I saw in 2019.

The main cast absolutely killed it, I particularly enjoyed Richard Jenkins as Chickory. His little mutterings throughout the movie really had me laughing.

Such as "dumb son of bitch, he doesn't know how to reload." (While I can't say more because of spoilers, the context in which he delivers this line was hilarious."

It was nice to see Matthew Fox return to form too after being in pretty forgettable films for the last few years.

@Judge Redd Haha yeah, good thing she's not too squeamish.

We both agreed it was a great movie though. Kudos to the special effects guys for the grossness