Netflix Movie of the Day: Bone Tomahawk is a strange and brutal genre blender
Bone Tomahawk is not for the faint of heart: it’s a brutal and bloody western, written by The Empire horror expert Kim Newman as “exceptionally gruesome.” Think do not forgive meets The hills have eyes with a captivating cast and some truly gruesome violence.
The film stars Kurt Russell as Patrick Wilson, a seasoned sheriff who sets out to rescue three people who have been kidnapped by bloodthirsty, violent clan members. Although the film is often almost unwatchable, it is also very funny in places. It is a very strange film, but nevertheless one of the best Netflix films. It is a genre-bending mix of western, horror and comedy.
Is Bone Tomahawk worth streaming?
Empire says yes: “This is as much a comedy as it is a cowboy horror. Jenkins’ freewheeling mumbling is inspired and imaginative, and the feisty heroine (Lili Simmons) has a great speech about how the real danger of life in the Wild West isn’t ‘Indians’ or the weather ‘it’s the idiots.’ Its influences are all over the map, with Coen brothers-esque bits punctuated by echoes of Rob Zombie.”
“It’s a sci-fi horror film about cannibalistic exploitation, directed by John Ford, a deliberately timed, old-fashioned Western that occasionally turns into a splatter film,” says Film Mezzanine. In the meantime, CinemaDope says it is “part revisionist, part Hills have eyes splatter-fest… a tightly constructed trek through enemy territory that becomes increasingly difficult to digest or shake off.”
“Aside from a few missteps, this is the best campfire movie of recent times,” says Total moviewhile The Irish Times says that “aside from the ultra-violence, there’s plenty to admire about this innovative genre-bender.” The Observer says it is “a radical fusion of different elements that beautifully enhance each other,” while Time-out says it’s “equal parts charming, strange, crazy, unpredictable and downright terrifying.”