Though there’s been a renewed interest in Westerns in recent years, an excellent neo-Western that rarely gets discussed (outside RedLetterMedia) is Bone Tomahawk. With its great character work, elegant and theatrical dialogue, and genre fusion of classy Western and cannibal horror, it’s the best movie to recommend to your friend if you want to make them realize how cool and weird your movie tastes are. But there are those who like their Western films to be horror-less (we call them The Normals). If that’s the case, don’t sweat it. That’s what Frontier Crucible—which was written by Bone Tomahawk writer/director S. Craig Zahler, and features classic Western action, but zero cannibalism—is there for.
The film takes place in the Old West and follows loner cowboy and ex-soldier Merrick Beckford (Myles Clohessy) who’s hired by the U.S. Army (led by William H. Macy) to deliver medical supplies on a wagon through Apache territory to San Carlos, Arizona. Shortly into his trip, he comes across a band of travelers who were attacked by Apaches. Among the party is Mrs. Butler (Mary Sitckley), whose husband (Eli Brown) is left in critical condition, as well as three fellow passengers (Thomas Jane, Armie Hammer, and Ryan Masson) who look almost trustworthy (but probably not). Beckford allows them all on board for the journey, but is fully aware that the Apaches aren’t the only danger he might have to concern himself with if he’s going to get that medicine to San Carlos.
What Audiences Missed With ‘Frontier Crucible’
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Image via Well Go USA</figure>
Frontier Crucible, based on the novel Desert Stake-Out by Harry Whittington, was directed by Travis Mills, and released last year to not much fanfare. But that’s not commentary on its quality. The film is an ode to old-school Westerns, with a small-scale story and clearcut good guys and bad guys, and was shot on location in Arizona, with surprisingly gorgeous shot composition. But the biggest attribute that Frontier Crucible has going for it (and will likely be a selling point for some) is that, according to Thomas Jane in an interview with MovieFone, it was written by an uncredited S. Craig Zahler—the writer/director of crowd-pleasers (well, depending on the crowd) such as Brawl in Cell Block 99 and the previously mentioned Bone Tomahawk.
If you’re a fan of his work and you don’t know of his involvement going in, Zahler’s dialogue gives itself away pretty quickly; it’s often compared to Quentin Tarantino, only slightly less verbose and a little more pragmatic. (A more accurate dialogue comparison might be Mike Flanagan‘s film work.) That’s where the Bone Tomahawk connection comes into play, because much like it, Frontier Crucible is methodically paced and plays more like a hangout movie in the Old West than a gung-ho action Western. It’s also not afraid to show the brutality and pitiless nature of living on the frontier, with the film’s cold open mirroring the opening to Bone Tomahawk, showcasing unglamorized violence that’s blunt and, at times, disturbing.
It never gets anywhere near as vicious as the last twenty minutes of Bone Tomahawk—which is like bragging you won a game of limbo when the bar was hanging between two buildings. But it’s still a Zahler script, and that means occasionally going places some audiences wouldn’t want to go. As a writer, he isn’t one to “save the cat” in his stories. He’d probably sooner have his villains field dress the cat in front of its owner, just so audiences know he means business (read A Congregation of Jackals if you think I’m overselling it). The flip side is that as dark as his scripts and novels can get, he isn’t afraid to leave audiences on a hopeful note, or follow characters who are endearing and honorable. That’s where Merrick Beckford comes in.
‘Frontier Crucible’ Subverts the “Man With No Name” Archetype
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Image via MGM</figure>
Beckford is a unique play on the wandering journeyman. While he has the steely confidence of a man who can both hold his own in a gunfight and grow a short, well-coiffed boxed beard that’s probably both soft to the touch and smells like beard oil (or, whatever), he also rarely holds a gun or engages in violence when it can be avoided. His pistol is the last line of defense when de-escalating a situation doesn’t work.
He’s well-mannered, never loses his cool, and always tries to use logic and reason as a way to get out of rough spots. The film never gets too deep into why Beckford goes the way of pacifism, but it also makes it clear that he doesn’t like killing, especially when it can be avoided. His coolest moments are when Edmund (Hammer) or Mule (Jane) are eyeing him down or overtly threatening him, and he doesn’t even flinch. For a character archetype associated with hardened badasses who can kill anyone they come across, Beckford is cool because he’s just . . .a good man. It also makes him feel in line with characters from Bone Tomahawk, like Sheriff Hunt (Kurt Russell) and Arthur O’Dwyer (Patrick Wilson).
Frontier Crucible is a classy throwback to old-school Westerns, with a few updated twists to some tried and true genre tropes to keep it feeling fresh. While its deliberate pace might be too slow for some, the performances, steady tension between characters, and the uncertainty of who Beckford can trust keeps the story from becoming meandering or boring. If you’re a fan of S. Craig Zahler and need something to keep you satiated while you wait for more updates on The Bookie and The Bruiser, Frontier Crucible is required viewing, and it’s currently streaming on Prime Video.
Frontier Crucible
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