Bone Tomahawk is a new and unique western movie. To quickly summarize the plot: a couple outlaws accidentally desecrate the burial site of some cannibalistic cave dwellers, the cannibals follow the fleeing outlaw to a town, they kidnap him along with a few other residents, and most of the movie is a rescue mission. For the most part it does function as a western – the typical western town, the rescue party is led by the Sheriff and his deputy, they encounter some bandits, and so on. About the last 30 or so minutes, when they encounter the troglodytes, it almost turns into a horror movie. The suspense and violence go way up, and you start to get the sense that this rescue mission may end in blood soaked disaster.

One of the would-be rescuers, there to help rescue his wife, also previously suffered a leg injury. It is still fresh when his wife is kidnapped, and it turns his experience into a bit of an epic struggle. It was a nice twist on the rescue party, and added an extra layer of suspense to the whole movie. The characters aren’t exceptionally developed, but the overall plot and solid acting kept me invested. Anyone interested in a suspenseful, genre-bending western should give this movie a try.

Reviewed by Tyler