There are films about the premiere of which they say long before they appear on the screens, but as a result, viewers are often disappointed - expectations do not justify the final result. And there are paintings that nobody knows about until the date of their release, but they suddenly turn out to be a real fresh breath of air. Such a film is the Western horror The Bone Tomahawk, which critics and viewers are very impressed with.
Film director
The creator of the picture, S. Craig Zaler, who immediately acted as a screenwriter and director of the film, is a dark horse in the world of cinema. On his account, participation in only six projects, most of which are short films. Zahler's most significant work was his participation as a screenwriter in the thriller Incident. The film Bone Tomahawk was his directorial debut. The picture received rave reviews from critics. But more on that later.
Zahler is an interesting and versatile personality. He is a screenwriter, writer and musician. Four of his novels have been published. According to the last of them, the director of the film “Bone Tomahawk”, reviews of which are almost all positive, is now writing the script for the new Westerner “Rattles from Rattleborge”. The plot is based on the story of two cowboys who came to an Indian settlement. They offer help in returning the daughter of the tribe leader kidnapped by the bandits, and in return they ask the Indian shamans to cause a strong storm in a certain place with the help of the "rain dance". Zaler is a true pen master who painstakingly writes portraits of his heroes. As a result, readers begin to perceive book characters as their acquaintances. This technique also works in the film "Bone tomahawk" ("Bone Tomahawk" in Russian).
The choice of genre is a significant part of the success of the painting
Westerns were unusually popular in the middle of the last century, but then gave way to such genres as thriller, horror and gangster films. For his debut work, Zahler chose the half-forgotten old western, and he did not disappoint. The film The Bone Tomahawk, reviews of which can be read further, is still different from the classic Westerns - the director was not afraid to add a fair portion of very bloody realistic scenes to it. The result is a diabolical western cocktail with elements of horror.
Brilliant cast
We will tell about each artist and his role in the film “Bone Tomahawk” in 2015 separately, but it is worth noting the fact that the young director who was little known before that was able to put together an excellent cast: Kurt Russell, Matthew Fox, Richard Jenkins and Patrick Wilson are excellent played together. Each of them got a textbook, but vivid image - an experienced sheriff, a philosophizing elderly assistant, an aggressive bounty hunter and a lame cowboy, jealous of a beautiful wife for everyone who comes close to her.
Work on the picture
Screenwriter S. Craig Zahler planned to try his hand as a director back in 2012. Then Timothy Olyphant was supposed to star in the film. A year later, consent was obtained to participate in the project of Kurt Russell. Matthew Fox and Patrick Wilson joined the cast in 2104. In the same year, filming began. They were supposed to be held in Utah and New Mexico, but in the end the film was shot in Malibu, in the Paramount Ranch National Park. An interesting fact: the picture was completed in record time - in just three weeks.
The plot of the Western horror
The film takes place at the end of the XIX century on the border between Texas and Mexico. Two gangsters, Purvis and Buddy, kill travelers on the prairie and cleanse their bodies and things. Hearing the noise, they hide in the gorge. In it, they find frightening totems created from bones, including human bones. Soon they wander into an Indian cemetery and are attacked. Buddy is killed, and Purvis manages to escape.
After a while, he appears in the small town of Bright Hope, where sheriff Franklin Hunt and his two assistants are following the rules. One of them, an elderly Chicory, tells the sheriff about a suspicious stranger, and Hunt arrests Purvis, after having shot him in the leg after trying to escape.
The assistant is assisted by a local doctor’s assistant, Samantha O'Douire. She stays in the sheriff’s office for the night, worrying about Purvis’s condition. The bandit is guarded by Hunt's second assistant, Nick.
At night, the Indians attack the town. The groom was killed, and Nick, Samantha and Purvis were kidnapped. From a local Indian, residents learn about the Cannibal Indians, whom others fear and avoid meeting with them. Khan gathers people to rescue the abducted, but only four people agree to go on a rescue expedition. They have a few days of hard way and a meeting with a dangerous and cruel enemy.
The motives of the four people who went on a suicidal rescue mission are interesting. Sheriff Hunt, with an impenetrable, like a century-old oak face, leads the squad because he just has to do it. He is a sheriff and no one can do his job. Buddy's old assistant is ready to follow the boss to the ends of the earth, and Hunt cannot do anything about it, although he understands that the old man is a burden. John Bruder comes with everyone to avenge the Indians for his broken life, and the cowboy Arthur O'Dwire is ready for anything to save his beloved wife. Each of the four has weaknesses, but at the crucial moment they are all capable of displaying tremendous willpower.
Criticism
The film in the Western horror genre "The Bone Tomahawk", reviews of which critics and viewers were unanimously positive, was shot for a surprisingly modest budget by the standards of blockbusters in recent years - about $ 2 million. The tape was released in limited rental, which did not stop her from becoming a bright premiere and earned high praise from film critics. The picture was awarded several awards.
Western horror "Bone Tomahawk": actors and roles
Kurt Russell as Sheriff Franklin Hunt
During his long career, the actor appeared in front of the audience in different images. Most of all, he was remembered for his roles in numerous fantastic action films from 1980-1990. The most famous works of Kurt Russell are the cyberpunk “Escape from New York”, the horror “Something”, the thriller “Proof of Life” and the detective western “The Abominable Eight”. The actor’s best roles are related to Quentin Tarantino’s films . The filmography of Russell’s most interesting and successful paintings has now been replenished with the Bone Tomahawk horror. The actors who took part in it made up an excellent composition of talented performers.
Sheriff Franklin Hunt is a calm and laconic man who has seen a lot and prefers to solve problems peacefully. But this does not mean that he is not capable of active action. If the situation requires it, he is immediately ready to risk his life in order to save people whom he is obliged to protect as the sheriff of the city.
Matthew Fox as John Bruder
The actor was widely known for his participation in the TV series "Lost." His character, John Bruder, is a dude and racist, taking revenge on the Indians for the death of his family. At the same time, he is a gentleman and without hesitation volunteers to help the sheriff in search of the kidnapped Samantha O'Dwyer.
Richard Jenkins - Assistant Sheriff Chicory
The actor mainly plays supporting roles and the most famous film with his participation is the film “Visitor”. For his role in it, Jenkins was nominated for an Academy Award. In the Bone Tomahawk, his character is a widower devoted to the sheriff, who likes to philosophize.
Patrick Wilson as Arthur O'Dwyer
The most famous films with the participation of the actor are the horror Astral and the fantastic action movie Guardians.
Cowboy Arthur O'Dwyer performed by Wilson is deceptive gentleness. When the cowboy’s companions, due to his broken leg, are forced to go forward, showing him the way with stones, he does not give up, but shows great will, stubbornly striving for the others to save his wife.
Interesting facts about the picture
Kurt Russell read one of Zahler’s books and spoke of him as a very talented writer. This phrase of the actor was placed on the back cover of all subsequent books of the director and screenwriter of the Bone Tomahawk.
For actor David Arquette, this is the second western about cannibals in the filming of which he took part. The first was the painting "The Eater."
Sailer wrote the script for the film in 2007, and the final version of the Western film was shot according to the first version of the manuscript.
Conclusion
The 2015 film Bone Tomahawk is a scary, weird and beautiful western with elements of horror about the confrontation between cowboys and cannibal Indians. A strong and powerful picture with a strong script and actors who played their roles perfectly is a rarity in the cinema of recent years. It is undoubtedly worth watching, but with one condition: if the audience has strong nerves and stomachs, since many scenes of violence are shot extremely realistically.