Bone Tomahawk is a slow burn across the american desert, as a desperate rescue party haphazardly embarks on a journey after three of their peers were captured by an ominous group of feral natives.

The team is made up of a grizzled Sheriff (Kurt Russel), a decrepit old-timer (Richard Jenkins), a cripple (Patrick Wilson) and a trigger-happy gentleman gunslinger (Matthew Fox). Ahead of them is a perilous journey through the wild arid lands of 19th century Texas. Or is it New Mexico? It doesn't matter, as to them the barren landscape epitomizes uncertainty and relentless danger.ย?

Wilson's Arthur O' Dwyer in particular, already injured to begin with, suffers immensely throughout the trip as he tirelessly powers through to rescue his wife. His ordeal is shown to great lengths, and you can't help but writhe as you feel for the man.

There is some merit to the way this film's length and almost self-indulgent pacing makes you empathize with the characters' grueling journey. The deliberate choice of meticulously depicting the drawn-out nature of their travel allows us to somewhat take part in their suffering.ย?

And while it is indeed a meandering, almost interminable journey, the often witty interactions between the ragtag posse give us more than enough reasons to root for them. The commitment to character elevates the story, each unit of the quartet providing some of their best acting in years. The intensity of the final act is aptly accentuated in comparison.

Indeed, the lingering expedition has a definite pay-off as the film completely shifts gears once the worn-out group finally crosses the assailants' territory. The genre shift raises the stakes, which happens when our characters descend into hellish territory to face the vicious Troglodytes' ferocity.

They are savage creatures with a taste for human blood, devoid of language and empathy towards anyone but their own. Truly terryfying because of their nearly alien and inhumane nature, they are genuinely memorable foes. The gruesome scenes of unadultered violence that take place inside their lair are not for the faint of heart.

The altercations are blood-soaked and truly visceral, thanks to the unparalleled use of practical effects and an inspired set design.

Whether a desperate exercise in futility or a courageous quest to rescue the innocents, needless to say our characters' ingenuity makes it a wildly unpredictable ride. The extreme violence, never gratuitous, carries out moments of raw emotion.ย?

Rather than a mere xenophobic portrayal of who Indians really were, this film skillfully uses the threat of the unknown as a powerful reminder of the paranoid nature of the Old West and its many dangers.ย?

Trading the ivory hues of the scorched desert for the crimson splatter of human plasma in a confined environment, Bone Tomahawk's genre-bending script is a clever node to the unpredictable quality of life in the West.