Bone Tomahawk

Bone Tomahawk
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	S. Craig Zahler
Written by	S. Craig Zahler
Produced by	Jack Heller Dallas Sonnier
Starring	Kurt Russell Patrick Wilson Matthew Fox Lili Simmons Richard Jenkins Evan Jonigkeit Kathryn Morris Sid Haig David Arquette Fred Melamed
Cinematography	Benji Bakshi
Edited by	Greg D'Auria Fred Raskin
Music by	Jeff Herriott S. Craig Zahler
Production companies	Caliber Media Company[1] The Fyzz Facility
Distributed by	RLJ Entertainment
Release dates	October 1, 2015 (2015-10-01) (Fantastic Fest) October 23, 2015 (2015-10-23) (United States)
Running time	132 minutes[2]
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$1.8 million[3]
Box office	$481,525[4]

Bone Tomahawk is a 2015 horror Western cannibal film written and directed by S. Craig Zahler. It stars Kurt Russell, Patrick Wilson, Matthew Fox, Richard Jenkins, Lili Simmons, Evan Jonigkeit, David Arquette, and Sid Haig and was produced by Jack Heller and Dallas Sonnier. It had its world premiere at the Fantastic Fest on October 1, 2015^[5] and was given a limited release on October 23, 2015, by RLJ Entertainment. The film is about a small-town sheriff (Russell) who leads a posse into a desolate region to rescue three people who were abducted by a cannibalistic Indian clan. The film earned critical acclaim, with praise for Zahler's screenplay and direction and the performances of the ensemble cast.

Plot[]

In the 1890s, Purvis and Buddy, two drifters who rob and kill travelers, encounter a Native American burial site. They are attacked, Buddy is killed and Purvis escapes.

Purvis arrives in the nearby town of Bright Hope and buries his loot. However, Deputy Chicory reports him to Sheriff Franklin Hunt. Hunt confronts Purvis, who tries to escape, only to be shot in the leg. Hunt sends John Brooder to fetch the town's doctor. Meanwhile, foreman Arthur O'Dwyer rests at home with a broken leg, tended by his wife Samantha, the doctor's assistant. As the doctor is drunk, Brooder calls on Samantha to treat Purvis, leaving her with Purvis and Hunt's other deputy, Nick. That night, a nearby stable boy is murdered.

The murder is reported to Hunt, who goes to the jail and finds it empty, with an arrow left behind. The Professor, an educated Native American, links the arrow to a tribe that he refers to as "Troglodytes", as their culture has no spoken language and hence no name. He warns Hunt that they are a group of inbred cannibalistic savages, disdained and avoided by other native groups. Certain that Samantha, Nick, and Purvis have been captured by them, Hunt prepares to go after the clan with Chicory and Brooder, who is a veteran of the Indian wars. Arthur, despite his broken leg, insists on accompanying them to find his wife.

Days into their ride, two strangers stumble across their camp. Fearing they are scouts for a raid, Brooder kills them. They set up a camp at another spot. However, a group of raiders ambush them, injure Brooder's horse, and steal the rest. The following day a fight breaks out between Brooder and Arthur, exacerbating Arthur's leg wound. Chicory leaves him to recover while he, Hunt, and Brooder continue on-foot.

Reaching the valley, the three men are injured by arrows. After killing two Troglodyte attackers, Hunt and Chicory retreat, leaving Brooder, who is injured and demands to be left behind. Brooder kills one attacker before being killed himself. The Troglodytes capture Hunt and Chicory and imprison them in their cave. The men find Samantha and an injured Nick, imprisoned in a cage. They inform Hunt that the Troglodytes have already killed and eaten Purvis. They witness Nick stripped, brutally scalped, bisected alive, and then consumed. Samantha estimates the number of Troglodytes to be around twelve (reduced to nine by Hunt's posse).

Hunt tricks several Troglodytes into drinking liquor laced with opium tincture. One dies while another becomes unconscious. Arthur follows the men's trail and discovers the valley, he kills two Troglodytes and notices an object embedded in their windpipes. After cutting one out, he realizes that it is animal bone that acts as a whistle. He blows on it, luring another Troglodyte, then kills him.

In the cave, realizing two of their clan were poisoned, the Troglodyte leader grows angry. They cut open Hunt's abdomen, shove the heated opium flask into the wound, and shoot him. Arthur arrives and kills one of them while Hunt decapitates the leader. Arthur frees Samantha and Chicory, while a mortally wounded Hunt stays behind with a rifle. He promises to kill the surviving cannibals when they return, to prevent them from terrorizing Bright Hope. As the three leave the cave, they see two pregnant Troglodyte women, who are blinded and have had all their limbs amputated.

Arthur blows on the Troglodyte whistle with no response and they hear three gunshots, implying that Hunt has killed the remaining cannibals.

Cast[]

Patrick Wilson, Richard Jenkins and Matthew Fox at 2015 Fantastic Fest

Production[]

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Development[]

On October 30, 2012, S. Craig Zahler was set to make his directorial debut with a horror Western film from his own script, with the film starring Kurt Russell and Jennifer Carpenter.^[1]

Casting[]

On September 24, 2014, Patrick Wilson and Matthew Fox joined the cast of the film to star along with Russell and Jenkins; Wilson would play Arthur O'Dwyer, a cowboy, while Fox would play the role of John Brooder.^[6] On September 29, Lili Simmons, David Arquette, Sid Haig, Kathryn Morris and Evan Jonigkeit joined the film; Simmons replaced Carpenter to play female lead Samantha O'Dwyer, the de facto doctor and wife of Arthur O'Dwyer, Arquette and Haig would play brigands, Morris would play the wife of Sheriff Hunt, while Jonigkeit was set to play a young deputy sheriff.^[7] The other ensemble cast added by the director includes Sean Young, Geno Segers, Richard Jenkins, Fred Melamed, James Tolkan, Raw Leiba, Jamie Hector, Jamison Newlander, Michael Paré, Zahn McClarnon, David Midthunder, Jay Tavare, Gray Wolf Herrera, Robert Allen Mukes, and Brandon Molale.^[8] On October 2, Dave Halls was set as the first assistant director for the film.^[9]

Filming[]

Principal photography began on October 6, 2014, in Malibu, California, where it was filmed for 21 days at the Paramount Ranch.^[10]

Release[]

In August 2015, RLJ Entertainment acquired distribution rights to the film,^[11] which had its world premiere at the Fantastic Fest on October 1, 2015.^[5] On October 3, 2015, it screened at the Charlotte Film Festival.^[12] It was then screened at the London Film Festival on October 10, 2015,^[13] before its limited release on October 23, 2015.^[14]

Reception[]

Critical response[]

Bone Tomahawk received positive responses from critics and at festivals for its acting (particularly for Kurt Russell, Richard Jenkins and Matthew Fox), grittiness, Zahler's direction, and the dialogue of his screenplay. Film review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 91% of critics gave the film a "Certified Fresh" rating, based on 93 reviews with an average score of 7.2/10, with the site's consensus stating, "Bone Tomahawk's peculiar genre blend won't be for everyone, but its gripping performances and a slow-burning story should satisfy those in search of something different."^[15] Metacritic gave the film a weighted average score of 72 out of 100, based on 17 reviews from mainstream critics, considered to be "generally favorable".^[16]

Guy Lodge of Variety praised the film, writing, "Bone Tomahawk may seem over-indulgent at 132 minutes, yet it's the wayward digressions of Zahler's script — navigated with palpable enjoyment by an expert, Kurt Russell-led ensemble — that are most treasurable in a film that commits wholeheartedly to its own curiosity value."^[17] John DeFore from The Hollywood Reporter offered the film similar praise, commending the film's performances, production design, cinematography, score, and screenplay.^[18] Jeremy Aspinall from The Radio Times awarded the film four out of five stars, calling it "a breathtaking addition to a once moribund genre".^[19] Dennis Schwartz of Ozus’ World Movie Reviews gave the film a grade of B−, praising the film's script, and blending of horror and western genres, while criticizing the film's runtime.^[20] Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian gave the film four out of five stars, calling it "[a] pulpy twist on John Ford's The Searchers which is hide-under-your-seat scary".^[21] Tom Huddleston of Time Out London awarded the film a similar four out of five stars, praising the film's script, cinematography, humor, and performances, calling it "[an] unusual, unpredictable western-comedy-horror movie".^[22]

The film was not without its detractors. Matt Donato from We Got This Covered rated the film two and a half out of five stars, criticizing the film's runtime, writing, "Bone Tomahawk is a long, LONG journey towards cannibalistic mayhem, which will test the patience of western fans waiting for the gruesome tomahawking to begin."^[23]

Accolades[]

References[]

External links[]

• Bone Tomahawk at IMDb