When a cannibalistic tribe kidnap some settlers from the small town of Bright Hope (one of which is the town's doctor) a small team which includes the sheriff and his deputy set out on a rescue mission. However, it seems that our intrepid rescuers may have underestimated their primitive foes and aren't entirely prepared for the danger that they may face...
Bone Tomahawk has the feel of an old-fashioned western; it's sprawling in nature, lots of camp fire style chats and a decent build up to what would ultimately become a fairly impressive albeit brutal and at times tough to watch finale. Ultimately it has some good qualities, but it also has its fair share of weaknesses.
One notable weakness lies with the characters; they're just not all that engaging or compelling as people and whilst lots of dialogue is exchanged between the characters much of it is not all that interesting. A more obvious problem is the length of the film and the general lack of incident for much of its run time - I'm all for slow burn, but Bone Tomahawk really stretches that term almost to breaking point.
On the plus side, the picture is well-made and the old-fashioned feel to it is intended as a compliment. The actors are all good; Jenkins, Wilson, Fox, Simmons & Russell all do a very solid job with what can arguably be described as 'underwritten characters.'
Ultimately Bone Tomahawk is just about worth the effort, but it's fair to say that you'll need to be patient as not a great deal happens until past the hour mark. If patience is not one of your virtues or if you prefer your Westerns to contain more in the way of incident, humour, or entertainment, then you may want to look elsewhere.
Bone Tomahawk has the feel of an old-fashioned western; it's sprawling in nature, lots of camp fire style chats and a decent build up to what would ultimately become a fairly impressive albeit brutal and at times tough to watch finale. Ultimately it has some good qualities, but it also has its fair share of weaknesses.
One notable weakness lies with the characters; they're just not all that engaging or compelling as people and whilst lots of dialogue is exchanged between the characters much of it is not all that interesting. A more obvious problem is the length of the film and the general lack of incident for much of its run time - I'm all for slow burn, but Bone Tomahawk really stretches that term almost to breaking point.
On the plus side, the picture is well-made and the old-fashioned feel to it is intended as a compliment. The actors are all good; Jenkins, Wilson, Fox, Simmons & Russell all do a very solid job with what can arguably be described as 'underwritten characters.'
Ultimately Bone Tomahawk is just about worth the effort, but it's fair to say that you'll need to be patient as not a great deal happens until past the hour mark. If patience is not one of your virtues or if you prefer your Westerns to contain more in the way of incident, humour, or entertainment, then you may want to look elsewhere.