Overview
A harrowing journey into the heart of darkness awaits as a small group of men confronts unimaginable horror.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Slow
- Intensity
- Extreme
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- grim
- slow burn
- mordant
- late night horror viewing
- western double feature
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the gripping slow-burn genre blend, strong ensemble performances, distinctive dialogue, and S. Craig Zahler's confident direction, while recognizing that its extreme violence and unusual pacing are divisive.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The rescue journey through the frontier gradually becomes a confrontation with cannibalistic Troglodytes and exceptionally graphic brutality.
Sheriff Franklin Hunt leads a small posse into the wilderness to retrieve kidnapped townspeople, including Samantha O'Dwyer.
The film uses a white-settler rescue premise and an unnamed tribe of antagonists, prompting criticism for perpetuating racist Native American stereotypes.
The posse spends much of the runtime riding and conversing before the rescue mission culminates in sustained, shocking violence.
Films like Bone Tomahawk, and why
The Searchers
shared western setting, captivity-rescue narrative, moral ambiguity, and frontier violence
Ravenous
shared horror western blend, isolated frontier communities, and escalating supernatural menace
The Proposition
shared slow-burn western pacing, harsh wilderness survival, and brutal revenge themes
The Hills Have Eyes
shared genre hybridity, grotesque violence, dark humor, and outsider rescue dynamics
Movie Details
- Director
- S. Craig Zahler
- Release Date
- 2015-10-23
- Runtime
- 133 min
- Rating
- 6.9 / 10 (2646)
Cast
- Kurt Russell
- Patrick Wilson
- Richard Jenkins
- Matthew Fox
- Lili Simmons
- David Arquette
- Fred Melamed
- Evan Jonigkeit
- Sid Haig
- Maestro Harrell
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+, Shudder, Sundance Now, Shudder Amazon Channel, Shudder Apple TV channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Bone Tomahawk about?
- A wounded rancher joins a sheriff, an aging deputy, and a gunslinger on a grim frontier rescue mission against cannibalistic cave dwellers.
- What is Bone Tomahawk like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Bone Tomahawk as slow, its intensity as extreme and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Bone Tomahawk violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Bone Tomahawk as graphic.
- What did critics think of Bone Tomahawk?
- Critics broadly praised the gripping slow-burn genre blend, strong ensemble performances, distinctive dialogue, and S. Craig Zahler's confident direction, while recognizing that its extreme violence and unusual pacing are divisive.
- Which films are like Bone Tomahawk?
- Films with a similar feel include The Searchers, Ravenous, The Proposition, and The Hills Have Eyes.
- How long is Bone Tomahawk?
- Bone Tomahawk runs 133 minutes.
- Where can I watch Bone Tomahawk?
- In United States, Bone Tomahawk streams on Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+, Shudder, Sundance Now, Shudder Amazon Channel, Shudder Apple TV channel.
