Bone Tomahawk (2015)

My title says it all. No other words best to describe this movie other than to say that this is the best horror/western movie this year and i would venture to say that this movie probably has taken the cup for being the best this year. If you are a fan of horror or western movies then you should definitely check it out. Kurt Russel, Patrick Williams give strong performances. All the four main characters describe one simple notion throughout the movie. Russell--A town sheriff who would do anything to fulfill his duty as a town sheriff and bring the criminals to justice. Williams--A loving husband who would do anything to bring his love back even in the face of immense odds.

There are some scenes in this movie which will definitely shock you being so gory and violent and this is coming from me being a long time horror movie fan who is not easily shocked. To give you an idea how certain scenes will be imprinted in your mind for some time is like when you watched the movie Sinister and there were some scenes that you could not forget for a while.

Finally do not take my word for it or someone else's and give this movie a try and then decide for yourself. You ll not be disappointed.

8/10

Fmovies: Saw this in early 2016 on a dvd. Revisited it recently. I was waiting for a second viewing before writing a review about this good film. The plot - A suspicious stranger is shot in the leg n put into a lock up by the sheriff Kurt Russell. Unknown to the him n the townsfolk, the stranger n his dead partner has insulted a cannibalistic tribe. Later, the stranger, a deputy n a lady doctor who is nursing the wounded stranger r all abducted by the savage tribesmen. The sheriff goes on a rescue mission along with his backup deputy, Richard Jenkins, a gunslinger, Matthew Fox and a wounded Patrick Wilson, husband of the lady doc. Before going on this mission, they r all warned about the savage cannibalistic tribe. Fans of the western genre will definitely enjoy this slow burner. Mind you, this film is not at all boring. The dialogues r good, the character development is brilliant n the acting is top notch. The pacing of the film is well complemented with intelligent and witty humor and highly likable characters n a sense of brooding dread. Debutante director, Zahler did a terrific job considering the budget. His earlier effort as a screenwriter, Asylum Blackout is a good horror film too. Before diving into the brutality n shocking violent confrontation, we r given solid tension, suspense n the ominous loactions. Much of the film is shot in broad day, sun soaked settings. Some really good work by the cinematographer Benji Bakshi. The director is heavily influenced by classics such as The Searchers n Hills have eyes.

My Rating: 7.5/10

A rock-solid western in the beginning, Bone Tomahawk transforms midway to become one of the most gruesome horror movies this year. It's not an unlikely combination. There have been a few titles in the past that falls under the western-horror category, but not many of them delivered so well.

Written and directed by S. Craig Zahler, the movie has a smart and tight screenplay. Zahler's story is unflinching and he never dilutes the intensity of what is shown on-screen. He succeeds in maintaining an air of unpredictability throughout the whole feature, and yes Zahler's name is definitely something to look out for in the future.

The story is set in the American old west, maybe during the end of 1800's. Four men are on a mission to rescue a few kidnapped people from a tribe of inbred man-eating savages. The quartet includes The Sheriff of the town Franklin Hunt (Kurt Russell), an injured Cowboy Arthur O' Dwyer (Patrick Wilson) whose wife Samantha O' Dwyer (Lili Simmons) is one among the captives, an armed gentleman John Brooder (Matthew Fox) and the Backup Deputy Chicory (Richard Jenkins).

The casting is okay but not great. The veteran actors Kurt Russell and Richard Jenkins give their best. Russell gives a fine performance as the Sheriff, making the whole premise believable. Jenkins' character Chicory might be the most likable of all and his role feels so natural and belonged in the whole plot. Patrick Wilson does a commendable effort, and so does Mathew Fox. The only character that appears to be misplaced is the town doctor Samantha O' Dwyer played by Lili Simmons. Her performance doesn't seem to blend in the 1800's period.

The cannibals were nightmarishly original. And their savagery is not just spoken of; rather it is shown in detail. The camera doesn't shift around much when it comes to the bloody violence. The eerie atmosphere together with the unpredictably quick turnarounds makes the feature quite effective. A major plus of this movie is that it sticks to being as realistic as possible. Be it the dialogues, the situations, the acting or even the gut-wrenching violence and gore, Bone Tomahawk is realism to the bone.

Recommended watch, if you can sit through a good old, slow paced, formal talked western in the former half and all the bloody gore in the later half, but ultimately the movie pays off.

Bone Tomahawk fmovies. I watched this film very tired the other night and found myself sitting up alert immediately !

Pleasantly surprised I found it an entertaining macabre mystery thriller horror with outstanding performances by a quality ensemble of veteran actors working with good dialogue from a competent script.

Normally expect relative unknowns to do this type of film and end up with a B-Movie type of re-working of 'Hills with Eyes', but instead of the atomic bomb test in-bread cannibalistic mutants we are dealing with North American cannibalistic Indian savage troglodytes,

That somehow have avoided being massacred by the U.S Union Calvary Army and take revenge on some trespassers on their Indian burial ground and follow one back to a small town, end up killing and kidnapping some locals including a young woman whose husband, town sheriff, deputy and local gun slinger go in hot pursuit.

There is some elements from Ravenous 2001, Japanese horror film 'The Audition' with hints of blinding and limb amputations. A quality low budget movie with top notch acting from a first time director who wrote the script.

Bone Tomahawk is about a small group of cowboys who set out in search of a group of cannibals who have kidnapped some of their townspeople, including the wife of one of the rough riders. It may sound similar to a lot of other westerns in the sense that it's a rescue story, which is somewhat true in the beginning. The first half of the movie is a great character drama as it follows the group of four for a few day and nights as they travel to their destination. This is where some people might have a problem with the film and the pacing might become an issue. During this time, we get expanded knowledge about the men involved and I found it rather entertaining because the route to their destination is just as dangerous as the destination itself. Yes, the movie could have been trimmed down by about 10-12 minutes, but it wasn't too slow that I lost interest (like many others I have read did).

It is during this time where acting comes into play and, for the most part, it's all on point, especially Kurt Russell! To no surprise, he is the highlight of the movie and is no one to be trifled with. He gives a very gritty and convincing performance worthy of his filmography. As well as the three other gentlemen that ride along with him, they all hit their marks (even my boy Matthew Fox from LOST).

The only real problem outside of the pacing is Lili Simmons' awkwardly dull performance (mostly during her captivity). Normally I wouldn't point out such a small characters performance but it was seriously lacking. It could be because her character was poorly written for the type of situation she was in. For example, why was she so relaxed and showing barely any emotion in such a frightening situation? Yes she could have broken down mentally but that doesn't let her off the hook. Also her line delivery was highly questionable and her overall performance felt like dead weight.

But it is the final 45 minutes of the movie that will leave everyone talking. Bone Tomahawk explodes into the horror genre with its cannibalistic violence (is this the return of cannibalistic horror movies?). The action is swift, and I mean very swift, it really comes out of nowhere. And this was what I loved most about the movie, you know they are getting closer and closer to unprecedented evil but you aren't quite sure when or where they will strike. It's this trepidation that makes the final third of the movie so thrilling. They're clearly unprepared for the gauntlet that is waiting for them. I won't spoil anything but the movie really doesn't shy away from violence once they get to where they are going. Bone Tomahawk transcends from a slow moving western into a carnage fueled frenzy.

In 2015 where we are used to seeing none stop CGI, thin plot, endless action trash...here we have the opposite, a real movie gem. It's a classically crafted western that ended up as a brutal cannibal masterpiece.

At first it does make the audience feel that theirs not much happening compared to general modern cinema but what we do have is quality acting, cinematography and script building up to the shocking and unpredictable end

I can't recommend this enough, unlike most films of today it's not made for profit it's made for quality film making, something which I fear today is few and far between

Go watch it