Home Media Catch Up - Bone Tomahawk (2015)

Director: S. Craig Zahler

Cast: Kurt Russell, Patrick Wilson, Matthew Fox, Lili Simmons, Richard Jenkins

Country: United States

Rating: R

Run Time: 132 min

Home Media Catch Up is a series dedicated to reviewing films released within the same year or prior year that I either missed upon theatrical release or have not got around to viewing on home media yet. Therefore, they won't contain the historical depth of a Retrospective Review, nor the initial reaction of a Theatrical Review, but more so something in between.

While Westerns have been made since the dawn of cinema, many declare John Ford's 1939 masterpiece, Stagecoach, to be the turning point in which the genre was finally taken seriously. Few genres flourished as much as the Western initially did when it became popular, dominating the cinematic conscious from the 1940s through the 70s. Unfortunately, once Michael Cimino's Heaven's Gate bombed commercially in 1980, the genre started its slippery slope into cinematic obscurity. Even though certain filmmakers continued to make Westerns, such as Clint Eastwood, the genre somewhat became a thing of the past, just as the Western frontier did itself.

Nowadays, it is always a celebration amongst genre fans whenever a true Western comes out, as they tend to rarely get made anymore. Fortunately, the tail end of 2015 has offered up a wealth of Western material, with big budget-awards season offerings such as The Revenant and The Hateful Eight supplying genre fans with their Western needs. However, one low budget contemporary Western offers genre fans a different kind of thrill, or at least a different kind of sub-genre altogether. Bone Tomahawk, a true Indie picture from first time director S. Craig Zahler, offers up Western atmosphere along with the gruesome gore and terror of a cannibal picture. It also features Kurt Russell and that awesome mustache and beard of his from The Hateful Eight in a much smaller picture. While in no way for the faint of heart or those with little patience, Bone Tomahawk is an exceptionally well made, although slightly over long and occasionally sadistic, Western for those looking for a truly visceral viewing experience.

You've been warned. Proceed with caution.

Bone Tomahawk opens with a disturbing scene that sets the tone for the rest of the picture as two thieves, Buddy (David Arquette) and Purvis (Sid Haig), rob and steal from campers. Upon walking further into the desert, the two stumble upon a burial ground owned by Troglodytes, cave dwelling cannibals who show no mercy to their victims. Purvis quickly finds himself attacked and sliced open by a cannibal, while Buddy high tails it out of there thinking of himself.

After arriving in the small town of Bright Hope, Buddy earns the attention of backup deputy officer Chicory (Richard Jenkins), who finds his appearance and actions suspicious. When he informs Sheriff Franklin Hunt (Kurt Russell), the two of them confront Buddy, which leads to Hunt shooting him in the leg. Hunt is left in the town jail overnight and sought after by Samantha O'Dwyer (Lili Simmons), the town doctor and wife of Arthur (Patrick Wilson). Unfortunately, the cannibals tracked Buddy back to Bright Hope, and abduct both him and Samantha in the night. Therefore, Hunt, Chicory, Arthur, and an upper class man, John Brooder (Matthew Fox), set out to find the two and bring them back.

Bone Tomahawk is a success story for any aspiring filmmaker looking to produce a cheap film. It's incredible that first time director S. Craig Zahler produced the film on a mere $1 million budget and found a way to entice such recognizable actors as Kurt Russell, Patrick Wilson, Matthew Fox, and Richard Jenkins to the project. After watching the behind the scenes documentary, as well as having a friend familiar with the area of Southern California, I discovered that the film was shot in a Western town and in the wilderness of Malibu, California. The clearly clean looking sets and outfits do somewhat spoil what could have been a more immersive Western experience given a bigger budget, but Zahler mostly does a great job getting as much as he can out of his limited budget, especially once the film moves purely into the wild. The film also features some truly fantastic special effects, especially during any sequence involving gore, gun fire, or bodily dismemberment. Therefore, any aspiring filmmaker or movie buff will want to give the film a watch simply for Zahler's success story alone.

"I was on Lost."

Due to its limited budget, Bone Tomahawk mainly relies upon dialog and character over spectacle, although it does go all out in its final act. Therefore, the bulk of the film rests upon Zahler's ability to write and direct interesting dialog and compelling characters. For the most part, he succeeds. After all, the first two acts of the film are all about establishing character. In fact, it takes the film around 40 minutes to get to the point in which the main plot kicks off, thereby affording the first 40 minutes the task of purely establishing the characters. 

However, the film's over long run time may be felt by the viewer, especially during the slow burn of act two. Some of the scenes and accompanying dialog don't feel entirely necessary at points, such as Wilson's reading of a poem, and could have possibly been left on the cutting room floor. Thankfully, the great performances help get the viewer through most of the film's slower points, as any minute of screen time with Kurt Russell and his beard is infinitely more watchable than one without him. It's a tough balance, but a strong reminder that dialog is going to dominate a picture when a mere $1 million are at your disposal.

Speaking of performances, every one brings their A-game to Bone Tomahawk. The four main leads form a likable team of players.  Russell is his usual bad ass self, Wilson is his usual boy scout self, and Jenkins is his usual kind hearted and adorable self. I was most surprised by Matthew Fox of Lost fame though, who gave a show stealing performance as a rich uppity gunslinger with a unique moral code. The film is also jam packed with numerous cameos, including David Arquette (Scream), Sid Haig (The Devil's Rejects), Sean Young (Blade Runner), Kathryn Morris (Cold Case), Michael Pare (Eddie and the Cruisers), and James Tolkan (Back to the Future Trilogy). Many of these cameos are mere moments long though. In all honesty, Sean Young completely skipped past me on my first watch, as I don't even remember her appearing on screen.

Wilson takes aim and fires in one of the film's most memorable scenes.

Bone Tomahawk is a part of a very rare type of sub-genre, the Western horror to be exact. In fact, it crosses over into cannibal territory as well, which is its own sub-genre in and of itself. Therefore, fans of either Cannibal Holocaust or Unforgiven will find something to like here, as Bone Tomahawk caters to both the Western and horror fan alike.

The bulk of the horror doesn't arrive until the film's dynamite final act in which all kinds of blood and gore is unleashed on the screen. The exact moment in which Zahler lets loose with the blood and mayhem is so unpredictable, that those who have started to snooze off from the slow second act will most likely have to rewind in order to catch up again. There's no denying that the final act is exceptionally brutal. The film will most likely go down in history amongst genre buffs for one particular scene of brutal murder that caused even myself to cover up my eyes. After all, I typically swear off cannibal films because I find them too sadistic and gruesome for my taste; I haven never even seen the likes of Cannibal Holocaust, Cannibal Ferox, or Eli Roth's latest The Green Inferno because I know I won't find any enjoyment in them. Therefore, whenever Bone Tomahawk crossed over into hardcore cannibalism, my mouth gaped and my eyes squinted.

While I typically excuse brutal violence, especially when it is part of the action or Western genre, I felt that Bone Tomahawk's most gruesome moments were unnecessary and fairly sadistic. For example, when a character is scalped in gruesome detail, I felt that Zahler could have cut away from there and left the rest to the viewer's imagination. Unfortunately, Zahler continues to show the man eat his own scalp and than be sliced in half down the middle of his body, followed by all of his entrails pouring out onto the dirt. This moment was so sadistic and evil, that it made me question whether I liked the film at all. Another sadistic moment includes a cannibal slicing open a character's stomach and forcing a hot tin into their body. However, nothing compared to one of the film's final moments in which it is revealed that the cannibals own two blind and crippled women purely for reproducing. That might be more disturbing and vile than any moment of on screen violence purely for its horrendous implications. Therefore, let me stress that Bone Tomahawk is not for the weak, as it truly goes where few other films go.

If you can't handle this image, than you won't handle Bone Tomahawk.

Even though Bone Tomahawk's gruesome gore and torturous sequences will make any viewer's stomach churn, the film balances it out with some thankfully satisfying and realistic action to boot. Therefore, it's not just torture and gore, but revenge and escape as well. S. Craig Zahler has crafted quite a unique Western; one that features A-list actors, a $1 million budget, and some of the most gruesome imagery to be put upon the screen. Horror fans will find themselves in heaven, while others might feel alienated or distant from the film's hardcore proceedings. While the gruesome gore may be too sadistic for my taste, the film's rather slow start is the film's biggest downfall. If Bone Tomahawk had been a tad shorter, as well as a tad less violent, than I could easily sing its praises to everyone. Even with its apparent flaws and my own personal taste set aside, the film is still a hidden gem that true genre fans are going to want to seek out. Just remember to bring either a barf bag, a remote to fast forward through a scene or two, as well as your own trusty hands to cover up your eyes.

Rating: 7/10 - While immensely sadistic and slightly overlong, Bone Tomahawk excels as a visceral Western horror.

The Hateful Eight (2015) - 70mm Roadshow Version

Director: Quentin Tarantino

Cast: Kurt Russell, Samuel L. Jackson, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Walton Goggins, Tim Roth

Country: United States

Rating: R

Run Time: 187 min

Quentin Tarantino's latest, The Hateful Eight, is his second Western after 2012's Django Unchained. Whereas Django Unchained was a hero's journey that spanned the scope of the Southern frontier, The Hateful Eight is a claustrophobic who-dun-it picture occupied by eight or so flawed bastards who barely qualify as heroes. Mainly confined to one location, The Hateful Eight makes for one of the most unbearably tense and nail biting cinematic experiences in recent years. Imagine if the tavern sequence from Inglourious Basterds was an entire film, and you have The Hateful Eight. Tarantino acts as the puppeteer of suspense here, pulling on the strings of his cinematic marionette to the point where audience members will find themselves squirming in their seats. Easily Tarantino's most vicious and vile picture to date, The Hateful Eight tosses a bunch of players from post-Civil War America into a confined space and allows them go to town on one another.

It's worth mentioning that I saw The Hateful Eight in 70mm as part of Tarantino's Roadshow Version of the film. The Roadshow Version of the film treats it as if it were an actual stage play or a broadway musical, much the same way that prestige pictures like Ben Hur and Lawrence of Arabia were treated back in the early 60s. The Roadshow Version comes complete with a physical program, a musical overture, and an intermission, thereby expanding the film's 167 minute run time to a whopping 187 minute cinematic experience. 

While Tarantino has stated that his film stands on its own, even separated from the event-like lavishes of its Roadshow cut, I personally believe that the Roadshow experience greatly affects one's experience and opinion with the film. As soon as the Overture title card popped up and Ennio Morricone's music blared across the soundtrack, I immediately felt entranced. Morricone's music not only sets the tone for the horrific picture, but hypnotizes you with its gothic sound. The intermission also comes at the perfect moment within the film, thereby allowing viewers to soak in the previous triumphant scene, discuss the film with their friends, and most likely get up and go to the bathroom. The Hateful Eight may be a great movie, but the Roadshow Version of the film makes for an unforgettable experience that arguably amplifies The Hateful Eight's filmic affect. 

Eight bastards brave the worst blizzard of all time.

The Hateful Eight opens with one Major Marquis Warren (Samuel L. Jackson) stumbling upon a stagecoach occupied by the bounty hunter John Ruth (Kurt Russell) and his prisoner Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh). Ruth informs Warren that he is taking Daisy to Red Rock in order to have her hung and to earn the reward for her capture. However, an unforeseen blizzard complicates matters, thereby forcing Ruth and his captive towards a stagecoach lodge for shelter. When Ruth arrives at the lodge, he immediately suspects that one of the lodge's attendants is not who they say they are, and that somebody is plotting to break Daisy free of her chains. What follows is one hell of a nail biter as friends become enemies, enemies become friends, and backs are both metaphorically and literally stabbed.

Tarantino's latest is similar to John Ford's Stagecoach in which a bunch of strangers are thrown together into a live or die situation. In fact, many of his extreme wide shots recall the great Ford's work on many classic Westerns. Tarantino also pays tribute to Robert Altman's McCabe and Mrs. Miller and even Sergio Corbucci's The Great Silence by setting his Western theatrics amongst the snow. Few snow Westerns ever get made, so it's a pleasure to finally have another after who knows how long. The film also recalls John Carpenter's The Thing in how it drops a group of people into the snow and forces them to play mental chess with one another as they try and figure out who is who. It's all the more ironic that The Hateful Eight stars not only The Thing's Kurt Russell, but even features a score by The Thing's composer, Ennio Morricone. 

Tarantino's previous two films, Inglourious Basterds and Django Unchained, were particularly enjoyable to watch in how he set his novelistic adventures amongst crucial points in U.S. history. Inglourious Basterds confronted the Nazis and World War II head on by eliminating Adolf Hitler altogether in a fantastical matter while Django Unchained confronted the harsh issue of slavery by allowing a black hero the chance to fight back against white slavers. The Hateful Eight tackles another hot blooded point in U.S. history, that of post-Civil War America, by placing former Union and Confederate characters against one another. It's tense enough that The Hateful Eight's characters have to shack up underneath a cold roof while one bounty hunter investigates who is trying to free his prisoner, but the underlying tension of the Civil War makes the experience all the more palpable. History and genre buffs will get a kick out of Tarantino's subversion and incorporation of both the Western genre and the tension of post-Civil War America.

John Ruth and Major Marquis talk it out.

Every Tarantino film features a selection of unforgettable characters, and The Hateful Eight features exactly that. He provides the viewer with several characters to root for as well as some to rally against. What makes The Hateful Eight such a fantastic viewing experience is that Tarantino plays with the viewers' expectations as to who is a morally righteous character and who is a backstabbing liar. In fact, Tarantino purposefully pits characters against one another early on in the film in order for the viewer to hate one and love the other, only to find them team up later on due to a common cause. It is this subversion of the audience's expectations, as well as the deeply layered characters who inhabit the film, that makes The Hateful Eight a character driven dream to watch.

Performances are excellent all around, with everybody giving their A-game to go along with their excellent characters. Kurt Russell and Samuel L. Jackson are especially fantastic as the film's two lead characters. Each gives one of the best performances of their career here, fully embodying their malicious but righteous characters. Supporting performances by Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tim Roth, Bruce Dern, Walton Goggins, Michael Madsen, Demian Bichir, and even Channing Tatum are a delight. While no character comes out of the film unscathed or unbattered, everyone leaves an impression. Viewers will find themselves debating which character they adore the most, as well as who was the most vile and deserved their gory end.

Tarantino also extracts a lot of great comedy out of his film and actors. There's a great repeating joke about a door that won't shut, so the characters have to constantly hold it closed and hammer nails into it. Pretty much any line that comes out of Sam Jackson's mouth is hilarious or bad ass, especially whenever he drops a curse word here or there. Demian Bichir, who is mostly unknown to American audiences despite appearances in Machete Kills and The Heat, is absolutely hilarious as Bob the Mexican. Even Tim Roth, who hasn't been seen in a major film of this caliber in a long time, is extremely bubbly and joyful to watch. No Tarantino film, despite how vicious or malicious, ever fails to get a laugh out of the audience. By the end of The Hateful Eight's violent proceedings, you'll be hard pressed not to have laughed at either an honest joke or simply the film's darkly comedic set up.

Jackson "sticks it" to Madsen.

While every Tarantino film may be packed to the brim with substance, the filmmaker became such a household name because of his memorable style and admiration for blood and gore. The Hateful Eight definitely doesn't hold back on the gory antics that Tarantino has built a career on, especially once one makes it past the intermission. Once the first blood vomit hits the screen, its an all out gore fest from there. He holds back nothing in this film. Characters' heads explode, balls are shot, and even arms are chopped off.

I also personally found the film to be Tarantino's most disturbing and vicious flick to date. Although one's opinion of a film is entirely subjective, several scenes made my stomach churn or my eyes squint, especially a detailed massacre that could have been depicted off screen. Unlike previous Tarantino films, the violence found here is not glamorous or heroic in nature or purpose. Instead, characters murder one another, including unnamed innocents, for their own selfish goals. It's tough to watch at points, but that's Tarantino for you, always pushing the envelope. Although, it was pretty fun to watch one unnamed actor's head explode on screen, considering their pedigree and public image.

The last masterstroke in Tarantino's latest is the score by veteran composer Ennio Morricone. After all, Tarantino always steals from Morricone's extensive library of music for most of his films. Therefore, it makes sense for Morricone to finally come aboard and compose an entire Tarantino film. Tarantino apparently convinced Morricone to come out of retirement in order to compose the film. Thank God for Morricone's break from retirement, because his score for the film is one of his all time greats. It stands next to The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, The Mission, and even Cinema Paradiso in how unique and memorable it is. It's an utterly iconic, and especially haunting and gothic, piece of score that music and movie fans will celebrate alike. I know that it might sound quick to call something a destined classic, but The Hateful Eight's score is exactly that.

"You're not getting a warning, but a bullet."

Upon initial viewing, The Hateful Eight will probably disturb some viewers and leave them quite winded. It's not often that three hour films, especially one this malicious, are set within one location. However, upon dwelling on the film's powerful effect, count me in as a fan. Tarantino has done it again by going back to his Reservoir Dogs roots and setting his latest film within a confined location and with a minimal cast. It's also fun to see that at least six of the "hateful eight" are Tarantino regulars. Although hardly a Western, it's more a game of Clue, The Hateful Eight is one of this year's most brash and daring character studies. Story and character are the name of the game, not plot or spectacle. Tarantino fashions his snow Western off of the mechanics and staging of a stage play, thereby making the film, as well as its Roadshow Version, an unforgettable time at the movies. It may be a tad too malicious for my taste at points, but The Hateful Eight is a great film through and through.

Rating: 8/10 - An immensely vicious and vile picture that finds a way to get laughs out of the viewer while making them squirm in their seat at the same time.