Bone Tomahawk (2015)

When a suspicious stranger who identifies himself as Buddy stumbles into Bright Hope’s saloon, Sheriff Franklin Hunt (Kurt Russell) takes him into custody, shooting him in the leg in the process.

The town doctor is drunk again, so Samantha O’Dwyer (Lili Simmons), wife of a convalescing cattle foreman, is summoned to the jail to tend to the wounded man. She winds up staying overnight with Deputy Nick to monitor the prisoner’s condition.

By morning, something strange has occurred in Bright Hope. A stable boy has been killed and his body torn to pieces. All three occupants of the jail have gone missing. The Professor is summoned to examine the arrow found in the boy’s body. He breaks the bad news: Samantha, the deputy and the prisoner were likely taken by Troglodytes, flesh-eating cave dwellers who live in a remote area.

So the sheriff, Indian-hating John Brooder, backup deputy Chicory and Lili’s husband Arthur set out to rescue the kidnapped trio, though the Professor predicts none of them will survive.

Indeed, they face substantial obstacles. Arthur is still recovering from a badly broken leg. Brooder is an arrogant dandy, convinced he’s a better Indian killer than anyone else in the group and not prone to taking orders, even from the sheriff. And their mission doesn’t get any easier when Mexican bandits steal their horses.

Review:

Well-done indie film that winds up being a cross between a Western and a horror flick. Heck, it’s a masterpiece set alongside most of the low-budget indie Westerns being foisted on viewers these days.

Kurt Russell’s involvement adds a touch of legitimacy to the endeavor, but he’s not the only cast member with an impressive resume. Matthew Fox, in the role of Brooder, was a star of the TV series “Lost.” Patrick Wilson, as Arthur, was twice nominated for a best actor Tony on Broadway. Lili Simmons, is featured in the Cinemax series “Banshee.”

And director / wrtier S. Craig Zahler provides the characters with some depth. For instance, Arthur O’Dwyer is clearly a religious man, prone to moments of anger, but forever asking forgiveness for losing his temper. Richard Jenkins has one of the best roles as backup deputy Chicory, a bit simple-minded, but fiercely loyal to the sheriff and prone to long discussions of random topics, from a flea circus to the difficulty of reading a book in the bathtub.

Just be forewarned, once the foursome meets up with the Troglodytes, the gore factor goes through the roof. Some of the scenes are downright difficult to watch.

Directed by:
S. Craig Zahler

Cast:
Kurt Russelll … Sheriff Franklin Hunt
Patrick Wilson … Arthur O’Dwyer
Matthew Fox … John Brooder
Richard Jenkins … Chicory
Lili Simmons … Samantha O’Dwyer
Evan Jonigkeit … Deputy Nick
David Arquette … Purvis
Fred Melamed … Clarence
Sid Haig … Buddy
Maestro Harrell … Gizzard
James Tolkan … Pianist
Kathyrn Morris … Lorna Hunt
Zahn McClarnon … The Professor
Michael Emery … Redheaded man
Jeremy Tardy … Buford

Runtime: 132 min.

Memorable lines:

Throat slitter #2: “This is not the time for womanly imaginings.”

Sheriff Hunt: “In civilized towns, places like Bright Hope, you look a man direct in the face when you talk to him.”

Sheriff Hunt as Samantha begins tending a wounded prisoner: “Do what you can for him. Very likely, he’s going to get hanged. But if would be nice if the families of the people he bushwacked could come to town and watch him go purple on the rope.”

Chicory: “Mr. Brooder just educated two Mexicans on the meaning of manifest destiny.”
Arthur O’Dwyer: “Did they deserve it?”
Chicory: “I don’t know.”

Samantha, upon learning that the sheriff left a trail for her husband to follow: “This is why frontier life is so difficult. Not because of the Indians or the elements. But because of the idiots.”