Bone Tomahawk

A hunt for a kidnapped wife takes four men into the heart of darkness in this grim but gripping prairie tale reminiscent of John Ford's classic, The Searchers (only with an extra slice of savagery). Director S Craig Zahler's debut stars Kurt Russell as the tough-as-teak town sheriff who heads into the wilderness with hobbled husband Patrick Wilson, dandy gunslinger Matthew Fox and befuddled deputy Richard Jenkins when Wilson's wife is abducted by a tribe so terrifying that even the local Native American (played by Zahn McClarnon from the Fargo TV series) won't hunt them. The rescue moves at an art house pace but the repartee between the querulous quartet is always quirky and entertaining, with Jenkins's scattergun non-sequiturs an amusing contrast to the bursts of brutality. It's necessary because the climactic confrontation between the foursome and their ferocious foes is not for the faint-hearted and will leave some viewers beside themselves, which is literally the case for one poor chap. It's a breathtaking addition to a once moribund genre.