Bone Tomahawk

S. Craig Zahler’s directorial debut, Bone Tomahawk follows Kurt Russell’s Sheriff Hunt as he and three men (Patrick Wilson’s Arthur, Matthew Fox’s Brooder, and Richard Jenkins’ Chicory) embark on a perilous track to find and hopefully rescue two individuals from cannibalistic cave dwellers. It’s a decidedly familiar storyline that’s employed as a springboard for an engaging and often engrossing piece of work, as first-time filmmaker Zahler, who kicks the proceedings off with one heck of an opening shot, delivers a deliberately-paced yet increasingly engrossing narrative that benefits substantially from an array of above-average performances – with the four leads stepping into the shoes of their respective characters to a degree that’s nothing short of captivating (Jenkins is especially good, and virtually unrecognizable, in his supporting role.) And although the movie admittedly does feel somewhat longer than necessary, Bone Tomahawk‘s assortment of exceedingly positive attributes, including Benji Bakshi’s atmospheric visuals and a handful of genuinely spellbinding sequences, paves the way for a second half that just grows more and more absorbing as time progresses – which ultimately does cement and confirm Zahler’s place as an exceedingly promising new cinematic talent.

***1/2 out of ****