Bone Tomahawk – We Are Movie Geeks

Some words just sound better on paper than on-screen. Such is the case with S. Craig Zahler’s horror western BONE TOMAHAWK. What works in literary form does not work when spoken through the mouth of actors Patrick Wilson, Matthew Fox, and other members of this fine cast. Zahler has had a bright career as a published writer dabbling in genres but mainly sticking to the western front. Although I’m not as familiar with his style as some, his timely but overly snappy dialogue doesn’t quite roll off the tongue, and certainly isn’t as quick and sharp as the weapon of the film’s title.

A lone thief (David Arquette) shuffles into town late one night. He just lost his partner (played by genre veteran Sid Haig) and is still shaken by a sudden attack he barely escaped. But just as quickly as he downs his drink at the local watering hole, the town’s sheriff (Kurt Russell) throws him in jail – of course not before shooting him in the foot. The town’s nurse (Lili Simmons) is called upon to fix the new hole in the man. However, this late night call quickly turns into a nightmare when her husband Arthur O’Dwyer (Patrick Wilson) wakes to find that his wife is still missing in the morning. All signs point to a cannibalistic tribe that live deep in the mountains. It is now up to the sheriff, his assistant deputy Chicory (Richard Jenkins), an indian-killing gunslinger (Matthew Fox), and the injured O’Dwyer to hunt down the tribe and rescue the missing woman.

Russell and Jenkins are in top form as the two aging lawmen. Russell is straight no nonsense and all grit while Jenkins delivers much levity to the ultra serious affair. Their scenes opposite one another work the best. A charming rapport is ignited by two actors that can do this stuff in their sleep. Even still, some of their lines feel so forced and unnatural that you can’t help but roll your eyes.

Thankfully the dialogue starts to come together once the group sets out on the dusty trail. Male-bonding takes center-stage as the four men venture out into the unknown. Their support for the injured O’Dwyer is admirable and adds heart to their journey. But just as slowly as Wilson limps along, the film moves at a snail’s pace. At 133 minutes, Zahler spends far too long forcing the audience to empathize with O’Dwyer’s redemptive struggle against all odds to find his wife – he’s shown as some form of Rocky mixed with Jesus.

BONE TOMAHAWK showcases an impressive cast playing a cheap looking game of cowboys and indians. Aside from what the actors’ salaries, the only moments where you feel like the budget is being put to good use is in the gory effects. Blood splurts, limbs are removed, and bodies are bisected like meat in a butcher’s shop. The final act is a real showstopper! Gore hounds will be satisfied as well as those looking for a western with some bite. It’s just a damn shame that the journey leading up to the bloody bits is littered with stale male bonding, cheap looking costumes, and absolutely zero tension. Instead of building atmosphere as the cowboys close-in on the cannibal cave, Zahler seems more keen on creating sympathy for Wilson as he is shown time and time again hobbling around the desert.

BONE TOMAHAWK seems to want to be both a male bonding classic western while also incorporating a healthy amount of exploitation shocks. Zahler’s persistance on unnatural cowboy banter combined with an unnecessary sex scene (complete with female nudity, of course) and over the top bloodshed make this feel as if Lucio Fulci directed THE SEARCHERS. Given the talent involved, BONE TOMAHAWK feels more tawdry than the exciting genre mashup that it was shooting to be.

Overall rating: 3 out of 5

Fantastic Fest is more like summer camp than just a normal film festival. It happens once a year in September. You get together with old friends and meet new ones. Every day and night is filled with fun activities. Most importantly though, this non-traditional camp is for fans of the most bizarre, violent, horrific, and FANTASTIC films you could imagine. And even still, Fantastic Fest is so much more. I will be covering Fantastic Fest once again this year starting September 24 through October 1. This will be my fourth time attending Fantastic Fest and We Are Movie Geeks fifth time covering the crazy events that take place in Austin. For eight days I will be immersed in a world that is unlike any other film festival I have ever attended. What other festival is going to feature events like an opening night Christmas party, a karaoke competition, a “nerd rap” throwdown, and the signature event of the fest – Fantastic Debates (which includes a verbal debate followed by a literal boxing match). These are just a few of the things that have me excited to arrive in Austin in just a few days. Alamo Drafthouse CEO and Fantastic Fest co-founder Tim League and his team have once again assembled a great lineup of films that include THE WITCH, GREEN ROOM, YAKUZA APOCALYPSE, THE LOBSTER, HIGH-RISE, ANOMALISA, and the closing night film: BONE TOMAHAWK. And who else is better to unveil the world premiere of BONE TOMAHAWK than the star of the film, Kurt Russell. Yes, Kurt Russell is coming to Fantastic Fest. There’s so much that has me excited that I will most likely lay awake restless every night until the Fest starts on Thursday. Before I pack my bags though, I thought I’d share with you what I’m most looking forward to.

The Opening Night Film – THE LOBSTER

Yorgos Lanthimos is one of the most exciting directors working today. His films take viewers to worlds that are slightly askew. They are in a hyper reality that feels truly human, but they still include elements of fantasy that makes them unique and delightfully bizarre. A few of the Greek director’s previous noteworthy films include DOGTOOTH and ALPS. Working in the English language for the first time, Lanthimos utilizes an all-star cast led by Colin Farrell and Rachel Wiesz to tell a tale about a society that forces every citizen to find a mate by a certain age. The punishment if you don’t is that you are turned into an animal of your choosing and sent out into the wild. THE LOBSTER wowed audiences at The Cannes Film Festival this past May, and this will mark the U.S. premiere of the film. Watching the trailer will give you a taste of the surreal world that Lanthimos is dishing up – a world that I simply can not wait to dive head first into.

The Alamo Drafthouse – The Greatest Movie Theater in the Universe

That’s not empty praise. The Alamo Drafthouse started in Austin in 1997 and has since branched out to spread the company’s love of cinema to other cities. For the 10^thAnniversary of the festival, the Drafthouse on South Lamar and its adjoining bar The High Ball re-opened its doors after being closed for over a year due to upgrades and renovations – last year’s festival was well worth the wait. Film fans and critics come from all over the world to attend this festival, not just for the lineup but because the atmosphere is integral to the festival. Great food, comfortable seating, and a friendly staff are just some of the perks of the location. But there’s one major fact that makes this place a Mecca for true cinemagoers: A very strict “No Cell-Phone Policy.” Did I mention how great their shakes are? It’s nearly impossible to not order a Mexican Vanilla shake or a local beer from one of Austin’s many great craft breweries every time you are in the theater.

A Witchy Woman

When I first heard the positive reactions out of the Sundance Film Festival, I immediately put THE WITCH high on my most anticipated list. Just watch the first trailer that was released last month if you dare. The film looks beautiful and terrifying! It also looks like a return to moody gothic horror, which is right up my alley. THE WITCH marks the feature length debut for Robert Eggers, and if winning a Best Director award at Sundance isn’t an indication of a talented new voice in American horror, than I don’t know what is. I’m ready for this film to put me under its spell.

My Eye is on Refn

Filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn is returning to Fantastic Fest, and he’s bringing some treats with him. The Danish director shares his unique collection of rare American exploitation movie posters in the new hardcover book Nicolas Winding Refn: The Act of Seeing. Three of the films featured in the book – FAREWELL UNCLE TOM, THE X-RATED SUPERMARKET and MY BODY HUNGERS – were selected by Refn to screen during Fantastic Fest, followed by a Q&A and book signing. Refn is known for his stylish films filled with lush and vibrant imagery, such as BRONSON, ONLY GOD FORGIVES, VALHALLA RISING, and the 2011 film sensation DRIVE. The Act of Seeing will hopefully serve as a gateway into the mind’s eye of one of cinema’s strongest visual directors. Plus, it’s not everyday that you see a film with the title THE X-RATED SUPERMARKET on the big-screen.

Fantastic Fest Alumni

Fantastic Fest filmmaking alumni are represented in three of the films I’m most excited about: HIGH-RISE, GREEN ROOM and KLOVN FOREVER. Ben Wheatley has seen all of his films play at the festival. And make no mistake, all of them are fantastic. I’m especially partial to the dark, existential road-trip SIGHTSEERS. Wheatley’s new Fantastic Fest entry is HIGH-RISE – an adaptation of J.G. Ballard’s chilling and poetic novel about modern life. Jeremy Saulnier follows up the exceptional revenge film BLUE RUIN with GREEN ROOM. This Cannes Film Festival darling features Patrick Stewart in a much darker role as a diabolical club owner who squares off against a young punk band. On a lighter note, the lovingly idiotic Frank Hvam and Casper Christensen reunite for KLOVN FOREVER. I saw KLOWN (aka KLOVN – THE MOVIE) at my very first Fantastic Fest in 2011. I’m not sure I have ever laughed so loud in a movie theater in my life. Thankfully I wasn’t the only one howling like a big dumb idiot. The whole crowd ate up this Danish comedy. If the sequel only has half the amount of laughs as the first film, I will still be one happy camper.

Kurt Russell Killing Cannibals

What more can you say about an actor who has appeared in some of your favorite films? I grew up watching the collaborations between John Carpenter and Kurt Russell with my dad. It was hard to think about the word “cool” when I was 10 yrs. old and not picture Russell in ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK. The fact that he is in a Western where his mission is to rescue a girl from a cannibalistic tribe, brings a smile ear to ear over my face. S. Craig Zahler’s existential horror western BONE TOMAHAWK makes its World Debut as the closing night film of the fest. To carry the Western theme into the wee hours of the night, Fantastic Fest’s closing night party will take place in a real, abandoned cowboy town located on the outskirts of Austin. I’m so ready! Giddyup!

Turkish Delights

Turkish genre cinema is in the spotlight at this year’s Fantastic Fest. This school of ‘70s renegade filmmaking is explored in the new documentary REMIX, REMAKE, RIP-OFF, which will be receiving its U.S. Premiere with director Cem Kaya in attendance. As part of the Turkish celebration, Fantastic Fest will be screening three seminal films, YILMAYAN ŞEYTAN (aka THE DEATHLESS DEVIL), TARKAN VİKİNG KANI (aka TARKAN VS THE VIKINGS), and DÜNYAYI KURTARAN ADAM (aka THE MAN WHO SAVES THE WORLD, aka TURKISH STAR WARS) – a film that I recently watched and was shocked by how many shots are just lifted straight from STAR WARS. The screenings will be complemented by the attendance of iconic Turkish filmmaker Çetin İnanç and moviestar Kunt Tulgar. In keeping with the Turkish spirit, this year’s poster is comprised exclusively of elements from classic Turkish movie art. You can see this incredible poster below.

Hopefully this gives you an idea of the many reasons why I’m so excited about Fantastic Fest this year. Celebrating 11 years of quality programming for fans of horror, sci-fi, fantasy, and exploitation cinema, Fantastic Fest has proven it is one of the best film festivals in the world. Stay tuned all this week and next week for We Are Movie Geek’s coverage of the fest. You can also follow my thoughts and exploits every step of the way on Twitter @MPHaffner. Get ready Austin… I’m coming back for you!

For more info visit fantasticfest.com

Tag: Bone Tomahawk

Fantastic Fest: BONE TOMAHAWK – The Review