Review of Bone Tomahawk (2015) by Ola G — 05 Jan 2016

In the 1890s, two men, Purvis and Buddy, attack travellers for their belongings. After killing several men at a campsite, they hear horses and retreat into the hills. After hearing howls in the distance, they make for a nearby valley to avoid any pursuers. As they walk across a burial site, Buddy is attacked and savagely killed. Purvis escapes but knocks over several burial mounds while running away. Eleven days later, in the small town of Bright Hope, Sheriff Franklin Hunt (Kurt Russell) is told by his "Back Up Deputy" Chicory (Richard Jenkins), that he saw a drifter bury clothes that were stained with blood, before heading for the local bar. Hunt and Chicory head to The Learned Goat to confront the drifter, revealed to be Purvis. Also present is John Brooder (Matthew Fox), an educated local womanizer. While questioning Purvis, Hunt shoots the man in the leg after he tries to escape, and they drag him off to the Sheriff's station. At the same time, Arthur O'Dwyer (Patrick Wilson) recuperates from a broken leg at home, and is attended by his wife, Samantha (Lili Simmons). Samantha possesses medical expertise and assists the local doctor, a drunk. Brooder is sent by the sheriff to ask Samantha to remove the bullet from Purvis's leg. She, Purvis and another deputy, Nick, are left at the station. Later that night, a black stablehand named Buford is savagely murdered in a barn, and the next morning, everyone at the station has disappeared, leaving behind a single arrow. A local Native American man known as "The Professor" tells Hunt that the arrow is from a group of primitive Native Americans, referred to as "Troglodytes", that became cave dwellers years ago and are detested for their savagery and alleged cannibalism. The group posits that the attackers took Nick, Samantha, and Purvis. The Professor gives them the location of the caves where they are known to stay, but warns them not to go as it would be suicide. Hunt assembles a party to track the attackers to their caves. O'Dwyer insists on coming along despite his injury, as does Chicory. Brooder volunteers as well, citing a personal obligation as he escorted Samantha that night...

"Bone Tomahawk" has a genre-mix of classic Western themes and gory B-movie horror elements. While the general storyline carries a classic western set up that is hardly something new under the sun, the movie ends up close to "Ravenous", but hardly as good as the latter. This is a low budget one, but yet it has attracted some solid names such as Kurt Russell and Patrick Wilson that adds weight to the film. Ok acting, ok suspense and ok cinematography. However, the biggest issue here is the pacing (and dialogue) that makes the movie so slow and undynamic at times that is becomes boring in my point of view. And the gore part is a bit too much, but I assume the production team wanted it to be as gory as possible to get that full on genre-mix. "Bone Tomahawk" is ok, but I would rather recommend "Ravenous" if you are after this sort of horror western.