DVD Review - Bone Tomahawk

Retail: $29.96; 132 Mins; Not Rated

Arriving on DVD December 29, 2015 from RLJ Entertainment is the horror-western Bone Tomahawk. Directed by S. Craig Zahler, the film stars Kurt Russell, Patrick Wilson, Matthew Fox, and Richard Jenkins.

Special Features include:

The Making of Bone Tomahawk
Deleted Scenes
Image Gallery
Fantastic Fest Q&A with Director and Cast

Set in the 1890s, the film begins with two thieving murders,  Purvis (played by David Arquette) and Buddy (played by Sid Haig), disturbing a burial site, well, that is until they are suddenly ambushed by a group of cannibals. Purvis barely escapes them and makes his way to the small of town of Bright Hope, where he is shot in the leg by Sheriff Franklin Hunt (played by Kurt Russell).

You can't have a criminal bleed to death, so Sheriff Hunt brings in Samantha O'Dwyer (played by Lili Simmons), a young woman who assists the local doctor (the town's drunk) from the time to time, to remove the bullet from the drifter's leg. The sheriff turns in for the night and leaves his deputy with Samantha who is still tending to the Purvis. The next morning, all three are missing from the sheriff's office and the only thing left behind is a single arrow.

Finding an arrow is a bit odd as there are no Indians in their area, so Sheriff Hunt seeks help from the town's only Native American, "The Professor" (played by Zahn McClarnon), who informs about a group of cannibal cave dwellers, known as the "Troglodytes."

Sheriff Hunt enlists his backup deputy, Chicory (played by Richard Jenkins), the womanizer John Brooder (played by Matthew Fox) and Samantha's husband, Arthur (played by Patrick Wilson), who happens to already have a broken leg, to help locate the caves where the cannibals live, and hopefully be able save the captives.

Final Thoughts: Honestly, I thought this was a straight-up western when I began watching the DVD, but to my surprise there was a little bit of horror tossed about. The plot is pretty simple with the four men heading into the mountains to look for three people whom where kidnapped by cannibals. The entire cast give great performances. The dialogue is well-written, especially during the banter scenes between Russell, Jenkins, Fox and Wilson. Warning: There is plenty of blood and gore towards the end of the film! Overall, Bone Tomahawk is a surprisingly entertaining horror-western that should have gotten a wider release at theaters. Nevertheless, it'll be available to own on DVD & Blu-ray on December, 29th.

*Disclaimer - I received a complimentary copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.