January Movie Pick: 'Bone Tomahawk'

Kurt Russell came directly from the set of 'The Hateful Eight,' avoiding additional expenses on hair, makeup, and wardrobe to work on this film. No, jokes aside, I'm not sure if there's a specific name for this genre, but there should be, and we definitely need more films in this category. I think 'Bone Tomahawk' actually contains the most gruesome murder scene I've ever seen in my life. The second time watching it, I could barely look at it; it's so abnormal and obscene. You might ask, then why the hell watch it? Well, I guess it's a great horror western, and there's nothing else out there with a story like this, featuring my guy Kurt Russell. I fell in love with Russell back when I was a child, and the movie 'Breakdown' (1997) was playing on my TV. Then Tarantino got hold of him and cemented him as one of my favorites. I also enjoy him and his son in the MCU, and although the whole Apple+ Godzilla show, where they brilliantly play the young and the older version of one character, fell apart story-wise, they were the best part of the show. So I didn't hesitate at all to watch this movie twice, and I also wanted to practice my German with the second viewing.

In the last month, I've been watching a great deal of Native American stories, like 'What If...?', 'Echo,' and 'Killers of the Flower Moon,' but nothing like that and nothing comes close to this particular story. Even though Kurt Russell looks just like his character in 'The Hateful Eight,' John 'The Hangman' Ruth, he is able to portray a totally different man. Thrown into a horrifically different situation as the sheriff of a very small town, he is utterly obligated to go after the troglodyte Native American cannibal kidnappers to save the medic Samantha, played by Lily Simmons, who is also the wife of Arthur, played by another actor that I really like - Patrick Wilson. Matthew Fox is also excellent in this movie and I wonder why I am not seeing more of him. 'Bone Tomahawk' is the directorial debut of screenwriter and novelist S. Craig Zahler, who is doing an incredible job with this movie. Some people may be offended by the depiction of the natives, but it's a fictional story after all, and we should be able to enjoy those. Now I am definitely obligated to watch the other two movies that he directed, even the one with Mel Gibson. And, of course, I was looking forward to his upcoming 2025 project that also includes Matthew Fox until I read that it is scrapped, which is a shame because with only one movie, this director was able to catch my attention, and now I feel like I'm about to become a fan.

I think all the actors portraying the troglodyte tribe are criminally underrated by the general public. I was afraid the whole movie, and until today, because I read who portrayed them in the story, I didn't know that there's also a Twilight actor involved. I always get a kick out of seeing them. Twilight is my guilty pleasure, and Alex Meraz was part of that pleasure for sure. Zahn McClarnon is always a good addition to any cast, and lately, I'm happy to see him more often. I loved-hated him in 'Doctor Sleep' and in the MCU, and he has some magnetic quality that he brings to these projects that are seriously underrated.

Iliya Badev