Place of Bones

I don't understand how people are giving this such glowing reviews. The acting is lifeless, it comes across as if they are actually just reading the lines. The dialogue is so cliched I can confidently say it must have been written by Yosemite Sam. The locations consist of one small house with barn and outhouse and one wooded area, that's pretty much it.

So after 60-80 minutes of not very much you get a very lazy shootout and a twist ending which really should have been the idea for the whole plot instead of just a twist.

Better acting or a better script, or better action, any of those would have raised this up to be a 5 star movie but all of them just fail.

A mother and daughter are struggling to survive in the wild frontier when a stranger appears in desperate need of help along with a bag ill-gotten gains along with a band of unsavory characters that put to test the ladies determination and strength. This Western thriller stars Heather Graham (Pandora), Brielle Robilliard (Hester), Corin Nemec (Calhoun), Tom Hopper (Bear John), Donald Cerrone (Minor Wilson), David Lipper (Ed Singletary), Gattlin Griffith (Cherokee Jack). The film is well directed by Audrey Cummings. Richard Taylor wrote this frightening and disturbing western that tapped into this western genre that you rarely see that we need more of. I mean just when you think the direction the film is going it turns on a dime making you think what the heck just happened. The music score just adds to this film it is so good. The acting is so good that I wanted more. Enjoy this film.

This was a decent western, and I am not into western movies generally due to the slanted views of Indigenous Americans and the Misogynist treatment of women.

That being said, I found this one watchable, but not without plot holes and actions by the women that seems off base due to their circumstances.

The male antagonist lived up to their roles of being of the same mindset of right-wing maganuts. So I commend them on their acting chops. I didn't like any of them, so they did an excellent job.

Other than some of the antics by the daughter and two gapping plot holes, I quite enjoyed this.

Oh yeah, the twist at the end was nifty and after it came up I had an Aha moment.

Canadian director Audrey Cummings delivers a successful Western that knows how to survive thanks to its good final stretch with one of the craziest climaxes of 2024.

It is a low-budget film and it shows in both its production and its set design, but with all that it manages to give a fairly successful film that is strengthened by having a fairly recognized cast that gives some prestige to a simple, straightforward and somewhat everyday script, but that is inspired in its final part to compensate for all the flaws that we can find with a truly mind-blowing twist.

The grace is in knowing how to solve the strong points of the script that allow you to stay away from all the situations that are happening, it knows how to use tension, drama and humor to always keep you up to date with everything that is happening, to then completely let go and give a pleasant surprise in its resolution to everything that was built up for us previously.

A film reminiscent of a low-budget Western that isn't perfect, that has many simplistic things and perhaps a bit of cheesy dialogue, but in the end it is an achieved result and we end up having a film with which we really have a good time without realizing it, a rewarding bet in its right measure.

What to say about this film? Be patient? It's almost worth watching, using your valuable time on this planet, just to see the twisted finale. I consumed only 3/4 of this film before bed, before I couldn't take anymore. I was disappointed. Other than a really cool Smith & Wesson Schofield, beautiful stained glass windows and some sudden, unexpected graphic violence, it was rather slow with poor acting. Then I watched the remainder, the next morning, with a good cup of coffee. Things changed overnight, creating a hunger that allowed me to see some of the value in "Place of Bones". Likely, the greatest problem was the scarce budget. Not sure how they could afford Heather Graham, as Pandora, or why she agreed? Perhaps times are thin, she needed to stalk her freezer? Or, maybe she's just a actor who likes to have a bit of fun, feeding her appetite for a western from time to time (see "The Last Son" 2021 for better fare). Tom Hopper, as Bear John and leader of the baddies,was the weakest character in my humble opinion. Even his costume sucked, especially the modern cowboy hat. The story has some great potential but similar tales, films, already exist. One in particular comes to mind, one that is much better but I'm not going to spoil this film for you. Kudos to the rest of Bear John's gang as, they were cool characters with sweet costumes. Liked Zachary Keller as Little Pete and totally missed the awesome MMA star Donald Cerrone as Minor Wilson; until I started investigating the film further. They all did a reasonable job being good black hats. A short call out to Ray Abruzzo as Lester. Though he is only in the film briefly, his characters dress and deportment come across really well, making you wish you had more. This film takes a lot of time before it redeems itself? If can't recommend it, except to starving western fans like myself, who keep devouring anything in the genre. There is some fun to be had here but you have to be quite patient, and hungry.