Film Review: Bone Tomahawk

"Say Goodbye To My Wife. I'll Say Hello To Yours..."

Whereas in most cases a film that has casting credits that include Kurt Russell and David Arquette may be mistaken as being one that is heading straight-to-video, unless directed by Quentin Tarantino of course, Bone Tomahawk, written and directed by new guy on the block S. Craig Zahler is a feat of slow-burning exploitation greatness, a film that attempts to ramp up the tension and then swiftly cripple it with swift acts of merciless violence, violence which as well as being extremely graphic and tough to swallow, is among the most horrific examples of such in recent memory. Forget the comic book violence of Deadpool or the B-Movie splatter fest of The Hateful Eight, Bone Tomahawk is a film that wants you to feel the pain in every scalp-scraping moment in which it occurs. Although many could argue the unwanted exposure to recent depths to which the genre of "torture porn" has decided to delve into has desensitised film goers of the current generation into believing gore can no longer be an effective notion within film, director Zahler understands the shock value of less being more, with Bone Tomahawk being a horror film that doesn't dwell on its' resorts to violence and instead wants to use them when they are most effective, and boy, does it work. 

After an attack on the overtly civilised town of Bright Hope leaves one of its' township dead and three missing, Sheriff Franklin Hunt, played in a brilliantly moustache twisting fashion by Kurt Russell, leads the charge to locate the missing townsfolk, one of whom is the wife of Patrick Wilson's Arthur O'Dwyer, the town proclaimed cowboy recently injured yet determined nonetheless to reclaim his lost love, alongside Matthew Fox's narcissistic John Brooder and the elderly deputy, Chicory, played majestically by Richard Jenkins. Although made aware of the troglodyte clan to which such an attack can be blamed upon, the quartet soon realise the cannibalistic dwellings to which their townsfolk have been captured within and begin to wonder whether their return will indeed be a safe one. The recent explosion of the western genre in recent years with films such as Django Unchained, Slow West and this years' The Hateful Eight may indeed have met the prime contender for the best example of the genre in recent times, with Bone Tomahawk being a compelling, well written and gruesomely horrific thrill ride which bends the two genres of western and horror rather well. Although the desire to play the script out as long as possible leads to a film that could possibly lose 20, 30 minutes from its' runtime, not once could I say I was bored, owing much to the films' credit to find tension in the smallest of places as well as getting the quartet of leading actors cast to a sharply fined T, with Russell and Jenkins stealing the show.

Although one scene of complete exploitation greatness may steal the limelight, with YouTube searches rather inevitable in the foreseeable future, Bone Tomahawk is much more than just a set piece and is a film that requires attention in the most sombre of moments in the fear of quick-fuelled blood lust being right around the corner. Never before have I jumped at the sight of an unexpected arrow or been set so aghast at the speed to which one of our leading heroes loses a certain appendage, a testament to the films' desire to create and display an enemy so intense and ruthless the audience will fear their every move. R-Rated greatness is what Bone Tomahawk strives for and blimey does it achieve it with a culty sensibility that will inevitably become a firm favourite within the formidable, if isolated, clan of violence loving exploitation in which I'm glad to say I'm part of. I look forward to your next body of work Mr. Zahler. 

Overall Score: 8/10

Film Review: Blade Runner: The Final Cut

Tears In Rain...

Perfection is particularly hard to muster when it comes to cinema. Sure, there are particular films that will always be regarded as masterpieces such as The Godfather, Citizen Kane and Lawrence of Arabia, but mastery and perfection is ultimately down to personal preference. When asked what my all-time favourite film is, I can never pin down one particular movie that I could regard as the “greatest”, but there are certain films that will always be in that particular list such as Donnie Darko, Alien, Mulholland Drive, and finally, Blade Runner. Interestingly, two films within that short and sweet example happen to be directed by Ridley Scott, who, in my opinion, is one of the greatest directors in the history of cinema. Sure, his latest efforts haven’t gone down particularly well, but at the beginning of his career, Scott created films that were wondrous, ground-breaking, and will continue to stand the test of time, Blade Runner included. Because of this, cinemas across the UK this month are showcasing the reissue of Blade Runner: The Final Cut, the supposed definitive version of Scott’s masterpiece, giving me great pleasure in getting the chance to witness one of my most beloved films’ on the big screen for the very first time.

Based on Phillip K. Dick’s novel, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Scott’s Blade Runner was a film I never truly understood, or even liked, when I first watched it as a young child, with my first savour of the dystopian future in which Harrison Ford’s Deckard hunts down the rogue Nexus-6 replicants, was in its’ “Directors Cut” form, which omitted the divisive voice-over from the original theatrical release as well as adding the now famous unicorn scene and a much more ambiguous ending. Years later, with my love of cinema fully formed, I purchased the “Final Cut” version of the film when released on Blu-Ray and rediscovered a treasure that now I could truly understand, now I could really savour, and now would forever hold a place in my cinematic heart. On the big screen, the film is simply a wonder to behold with the beautiful soundtrack by synth-master Vangelis perfectly accompanying the dark, edgy tone of the movie of which is uncanny in its’ vision of the future where giant advertisements, crowded night clubs and desolate streets hark back to the age-old notion of capitalism, signified by the riches seen during Deckard’s trip to the Murdochian (is that a thing?) Tyrell Corporation.

The film boasts arguably Harrison Ford’s best career performance, who ever-so smoothly slips into the role of Deckard, perfectly portraying a much softer and anxious character than in previous Ford efforts at the time such as Han Solo and Indiana Jones. As good as Ford is, it is no question that the film’s best performer is Rutger Hauer, who in his portrayal of replicant Roy Batty creates one of the most unique scenes of improvisation ever with his beautiful “I've seen things,” speech, that, according to the filmmakers, resulted in some of the crew bursting into tears due to its’ sheer power and unrivaled beauty. What a magical moments it must have been to witness it. Lucky them. Aside from the two leads, Sean Young’s portrayal as Rachael, the denial-ridden replicant love interest of Deckard, succeeds in standing up strongly to her two male counterparts, whilst making the sight of smoking a cigarette look more attractive than I ever thought it possibly could be.

If you haven’t ever had the chance to watch Blade Runner, there is no better time to do so than now, with the option of watching it on the big screen too good an opportunity to turn down. There is something so beautifully haunting about Blade Runner that it draws me in again and again, no matter how many times I choose to watch it. A masterpiece of cinema and a true wonder of science fiction, what more do you want? Enjoy. 

Overall Score: 10/10