I absolutely love Westerns. High Noon, The Searchers, The Great Silence, The Good, The Bad and the Ugly…I’ve loved them all. These days, it’s difficult to find a good Western, unless you count the numerous budget titles on Netflix. While some of those are decent, they’re basically retelling stories that have been already told by better Westerns. If Westerns are going to stay relevant, they have to take different approaches to their stories.
So when a friend told me about Bone Tomahawk, a Western and horror hybrid, I was genuinely excited. And I was not disappointed.
Bone Tomahawk follows Sheriff Franklin Hunt (Kurt Russell) of Bright Hope, a small town in the West. The town is shaken as several citizens are kidnapped by cannibals known as Troglodytes. Hunt forms a posse with Arthur O’Dwyer (Patrick Wilson) whose wife is among the kidnap victims, older “back up deputy” Chicory (Richard Jenkins) and John Brooder (Matthew Fox), a local educated man.
This is an excellent Western with a heavy dose of horror. Despite overstaying its welcome, this is a film has an interesting take on the typical “Cowboys vs Indians” dynamic in most Westerns.
From the very start of Bone Tomahawk, the unflinching violence is in our face. And I literally mean the very first scene: A sleeping man’s throat is cut as he slowly wakes up. It’s done slowly and the camera’s gaze never falters. Almost from the start, the audience is not at ease.
We’re given a bit of a reprieve when we’re first introduced to the town of Bright Hope. Every character is excessively polite, especially Brooder (more on him later). It borders on tedium, but serves a specific purpose…this is a civilized world. From Brooder’s quiet condescension, to the polite (but surprisingly sweet) banter between Arthur and his wife Samantha (Lili Simmons), it’s hammered into the audience that this is a peaceful, mannered place.
Civilization has come to Bright Hope and all have to conform to it. Even the Professor, the Native American who lives in town, is dressed in a civilized suit. When that peace is shattered, it rocks not only the citizens of Bright Hope, but also the audience. The violence we were exposed to in the first scene of the film is brought into this quiet town as the half naked Troglodytes invade with their violent ways.
And the silence in Bone Tomahawk is used brilliantly. Attacks from the cannibals come suddenly and without warning, including the soundtrack. In fact there is very little soundtrack here. As the posse goes deeper into the Troglodyte territory, that silence makes it seem as though death could come from behind any bush or rock. Writer/director S. Craig Zahler masterfully creates an uneasy world.
Kurt Russell continues to show how talented he is with his role as Hunt. Russell is severely underrated, being able to play action heroes, comedic roles, villains or bad-ass anti heroes. Russell plays Hunt as the dutiful protector of Bright Hope no matter the threat. He isn’t cold or unfair, and we see this with his friendship with Chicory, who provides much of the dry humor. Most importantly, Hunt never forgets this sense of duty, making him incredibly likable.
Patrick Wilson is great as the dogged Arthur. Much like Hunt, he is determined, but mostly to find his wife. Their relationship is actually very sweet and believable. Samantha’s role is somewhat small, but it’s also very important in ways. She is the only one who can see how being set in their ways may doom the men of Bright Hope.
I want to single Matthew Fox’s Brooder out. He may be the most complex and important character in Bone Tomahawk. He is always dapper and well dressed in all white suits. He often answers requests with “I shall” or “I shant”. He is the epitome of Western American civilization not only because of those traits, but because he is also completely immoral.
Brooder he has killed more than a hundred “savages,” including women and children. He shoots down strangers because they might be a threat. He is both civilized and savage. The fact that he is dressed in white makes him not all that different from the white body painted cannibals. And Matthew Fox expertly plays Brooder with a quiet confidence. He knows exactly who he is.
Brooder feels that he is better than everyone else not because of his education or his clothes…but because he knows that violence is the only way to tame savagery. I can’t think of a better example of an American in the “Manifest Destiny” days of the West.
However, those civilized ways that served them so well begin to fail our heroes as they get further away from Bright Hope. Those vestiges are slowly dropped along the way. They soon have to resort to the same violent savagery of their targets. That slow burn is literally that…civilized ways are burning away. This is the biggest difference between Bone Tomahawk and other “Cowboy and Indian” Westerns. Civilization doesn’t save our heroes, it lets them down.
As good as that slow burn is, Bone Tomahawk can be a bit tedious at times. At a running time of two hours and twelve minutes, it feels like the film is spinning its wheels. Be warned…there are A LOT of scenes of characters simply walking. The film could have done without some of those scenes. While I understand building tension, it feels like too much at times, especially when it feels like the film should be ramping up. The film is like a massive set up with very little in terms of a pay off.
Bone Tomahawk is a good film due to its strong cast and cool take on the whole “Cowboys and Indians” dynamic Westerns are known for. Despite the slight let down in terms of too much set up, it’s still worth a look.
Score: 7 out of 10