Brittle: A Review of Bone Tomahawk (2015) Dir. S. Craig Zahler

S. Craig Zahler's directorial debut feature, Bone Tomahawk, is ambitious. Sequences of profound, accented gore break up a charming, often humorous script near Coen Brothers' sensibilities. Our first scene gives us a bloodcurdling throat-cutting; the sounds of a crunching and gurgling larynx being ripped by slow, blunt hacks of a knife are inescapably amplified. Our second scene brings us to a quiet saloon where small-town occupants banter with charming wit and nimble humor. Many of the elements of Bone Tomahawk excel in what should be a great movie. But, there's something dreadfully amiss in this modern Western. 

The year is 1890. The place, the ubiquitous West. Two small-time crooks are slicing their unfortunate victims' throats and stealing whatever is deemed valuable. Our two rogues seek an alternative route through the valley and stumble into territory held by a Native American tribe of cannibalistic cave-dwellers. One of the two, a man named Purvis, manages to escape to the small town of Bright Hope. Drunk and unfamiliar, he is confronted by the town Sheriff, his Deputy, and one John Brooder, a combat specialist and dandy. The jig is up for Purvis commencing a brief shootout. Purvis is taken down with a bullet to the leg. He is incarcerated, and the local nurse is sent to tend to him. Dawn comes to greet Bright Hope with the grave news that Purvis, the nurse Samantha, and Nick have been abducted. A spearhead left behind points Brooder, Sheriff Hunt, Deputy Chicory, and O'Dwyer (Samantha's husband) on a rescue mission to the valleys. 

As mentioned, the script is a delight. It's carried by exceptional performances, particularly from Kurt Russel (Sheriff Hunt) and Richard Jenkins (Chicory). The cinematography is attractive and well framed. The pacing, however, is a different story. I am in disbelief that a film featuring some of the most brutal sequences I've seen to date, with a script so charming and light, can be so immensely drab. The run time for Bone Tomahawk is 132 minutes, a generous length for a film that goes only one way. The plot is a one way street with high fences on the borders, and linearity seems to be the one true religion. Sure, things happen along our rescue team's way, momentary bumps of action and brief skirmishes. But building tension, suspense, and gravity seem to solely fall on the responsibility of THAT SCENE to shake us up. THAT SCENE, which I will not describe, is gratuitous and masturbatory. Lars Von Trier would drool over it, wishing he did it in slow-mo. It is a rescue mission, no more, no less, and because it is just this, the film's predictability is disengaging. 

I am not familiar with Zahler's breadth of work. It would seem, however, that Bone Tomahawk is the debut of a career marked by controversy. Is Bone Tomahawk problematic? Yes. Our rescue mission is executed by gallant white men, saving gentle white folk from Native Americans. The Native Americans in Bone Tomahawk have either assimilated with the whites or are cast as inhuman monsters. Without morals or reasoning, they are called "savages" and act savagely. One scene that stands out sees Brooder gun down two Mexicans approaching their camp. Their deaths are followed by the line "Mr. Brooder just introduced them to the idea of Manifest Destiny." 

Cowboy versus "Indians" is a trope wholly American. Right or wrong, it finds a foundation at the core of America. I won't say making a film about cowboys and "Indians" is wrong. In fact, I think it can make for excellent material. However, tact and grace come to mind when making a good film. S. Craig Zahler might do well to remember this. 

5/10