Tuesday's Overlooked Movie: Bone Tomahawk

I was predisposed to like BONE TOMAHAWK because a. it’s a Western, and b. it was written and directed by S. Craig Zahler, Western novelist, Western pulp fan, occasional commenter on this blog, and probably the only filmmaker in the business who has expressed a fondness for the work of Ray Nafziger—or who knows who Ray Nafziger was! I was a little concerned because I’d read that it was extremely violent, and so it is, in three or four scenes, but this movie is a lot more than that.

In some ways BONE TOMAHAWK is a classic traditional Western: four men set out in pursuit of a band of Indians who have kidnapped several people from a settlement. This small posse is led by the local sheriff (Kurt Russell) and includes one of his deputies (the great character actor Richard Jenkins), a dandified but dangerous gunman (Matthew Fox), and the cowboy (Patrick Wilson) who’s married to one of the kidnap victims. The grizzled deputy known as Chicory is a wonderful character, pure Western pulp in some ways but with more depth than many pulp characters, and the others are interesting characters, too. We get to know them pretty well, because most of the movie is spent following their pursuit of the Indians.

Those Indians are not typical Western movie antagonists, though, and that’s where BONE TOMAHAWK’s more horrific elements come in. They’re cave-dwelling, cannibalistic savages feared and despised by the other tribes in the area. They’re pretty creepy, too, and some of the things they do are where the graphic violence comes in. It’s well-staged, though, as are the more traditional action scenes.

Mostly, though, BONE TOMAHAWK is a movie full of fine acting, great dialogue and photography, and a surprising amount of humor in spite of its reputation for being grim and unrelenting. Some people have complained that the pace is slow, but I didn’t really find that to be the case because I was enjoying the characters and what they were saying and doing.

I’d love to see Zahler try his hand at a more traditional Western, but that may not be what he’s interested in doing. Whatever it is, though, I’ll definitely be watching because I was really impressed with BONE TOMAHAWK.

Now Available: Spadefall - John Hegenberger

It’s 1950, and Stan Wade, L.A. PI, is working on his first case: recovering the stolen manuscript of a new Sam Spade novel by Dashiell Hammett. This epic hunt will last for a decade, and before it’s over will involve Humphrey Bogart, Eleanor Roosevelt, Alfred Hitchcock, Mickey Cohen, Robert Bloch, stripper Candy Barr, and a sleazy nightclub owner named Jack Ruby. Will Stan survive to put all the pieces of this crazy-quilt case together? 

It’s bullets, volcanoes, espionage, romance, humor, double-crosses, and pop culture references galore as Stan Wade races through another fast-moving, action-packed caper. John Hegenberger’s SPADEFALL is the latest entry in one of the best new private eye series in years and pure reading entertainment. Trying to keep up with Stan Wade is some of the most fun you’ll ever have in the pages of a book! 

“If you’re looking for non-stop action, along with some humor and surprising twists, give this a try.” – Bill Crider on SPYFALL, the first book in the Stan Wade series.

Sunday Morning Bonus Pulp: Startling Stories, Winter 1946

Bergey! Need I say more?

Well, how about the fact that I read Edmond Hamilton's Captain Future novel from this issue, "Outlaw World", in its paperback reprint from Popular Library many years ago. I don't remember anything about it, but I never read a Captain Future novel I didn't like, so I'm sure it was good. Also in this issue are stories by P. Schuyler Miller (a reprint from the April 1933 issue of WONDER STORIES) and Sam Merwin Jr., who was also the editor of STARTLING STORIES at the time. Miller I've never read, at least that I remember, and I probably should. Merwin, of course, was my mentor during the early days of my career and the first editor to publish a story under my name.

Saturday Morning Western Pulp: Triple Western, December 1952

I’ve grown increasingly fond of novellas and short novels as I get older (the result of less time to read and a dwindling attention span, I suspect), so it makes sense I’d like TRIPLE WESTERN, a pulp devoted to them. Recently I pulled the December 1952 issue off my shelves and read it, and as expected, I had a fine time doing so. The scan, as usual, is from the copy I read.

The issue leads off with Frank Castle’s “Brothers in Blood”, which is really the only story long enough to be called a novel. I estimate it’s around 40,000 words. It starts off as a standard range war plot, with the villain out to take over the ranch owned by brothers Saul and Hal Baxter. Saul and Hal really don’t get along that well, but they share a determination to hang on to their spread.

From that typical opening, Castle brings in some surprises, including some long-buried family secrets reminiscent of Ross Macdonald and a pair of overlapping romantic triangles. His distinctive style, which is really dominant in the Lassiter novels he wrote as Jack Slade, is already somewhat on display with its missing verbs, odd tenses, and abundance of commas. Castle makes it work, though, and the story just races along in very entertaining fashion. I enjoyed this one a lot.

Steuart Emery had a long and prolific career in the pulps, dating back to 1919, although he seems to be mostly forgotten today. For the first three decades of his career, he produced primarily war and aviation stories, with a few detective yarns thrown in. By the Fifties, though, he was writing mostly cavalry stories for various Western pulps in the Thrilling Group, like this issue’s novella “Apache Dawn”. I’d read some of Emery’s stories in TEXAS RANGERS and recall liking them, so it’s no surprise I enjoyed this one, too.

Emery is a very traditional plotter, so don’t look for many surprises in his stories. “Apache Dawn” makes use of the old “frontier-seasoned officer vs. by-the-book officer from back east” plot, with a romantic triangle thrown in as well. It plays out just about as you’d expect, but Emery writes so well the predictability doesn’t matter much. The numerous battle scenes are excellent, and the beleaguered hero is very likable. There’s a surprisingly good heroine in this story, too, who definitely doesn’t fade into the background as sometimes happens in Western pulp yarns. Overall, “Apache Dawn” is a suspenseful and very effective tale. I was impressed enough I ordered a copy of one of Emery’s air war novels, since I’ve never read anything except his Westerns.

About thirty years ago I went on a Luke Short binge, reading a couple dozen of his novels in fairly short order. These days I still read one now and then, or one of his pulp novellas like “Lead Won’t Lie” in this issue. It’s a reprint from the September 9, 1939 issue of WESTERN STORY. Short, whose real name was Frederick Glidden, usually had a hardboiled tone to his stories, and this one is no different. Jim Hutchins is the only survivor of a violent frontier feud, and when he drifts to a different part of the country and starts a ranch in partnership with another man, trouble soon crops up again when Jim’s partner is murdered and he’s framed for the killing.

As it turns out, that’s not the last murder Jim is framed for, as the plot of “Lead Won’t Lie” becomes pretty complicated. Not Erle Stanley Gardner-complicated, mind you, but still pretty complex for a traditional action Western. Glidden does a good job with that action, too, as Jim Hutchins has to unravel the scheme and expose the real killers in order to save his own hide.

This issue wraps up with an 8-page short story by another master of the genre, Gordon D. Shirreffs. “Gun Runners of the Gila” is a fairly early effort from Shirreffs, but it has the great hardboiled action scenes he’s famous for. The plot concerns a man who’s trying to find out who’s responsible for a wagon train massacre in which his brother died. The story feels a little rushed—there’s enough plot to have supported a novelette—but it’s still quite enjoyable.

From start to finish, this is a fine issue of TRIPLE WESTERN. If you own a copy or happen to run across one, it’s well worth reading.

Forgotten Books: Rawhide Range - Ernest Haycox

The cover of this paperback, published by Popular Library in 1952, makes it look like a novel, but it’s not. It’s a collection of ten stories that first appeared in the slick magazine COLLIER’S between 1939 and 1948. After writing prolifically for the pulps for a decade, by the mid-Thirties Ernest Haycox had “graduated” to the slicks, and COLLIER’S was his primary market for the rest of his life.

“Rawhide Range”, originally published as “The Quarrel” (October 1, 1941), is about a casual insult between two ranchers, in town for a dance and celebration, that turns into a deadly shootout. (The editors at Popular Library changed the title on this one, as they did on several others.)

In “End of the Trail”, originally published as “A Young Man’s Fancy” (July 18, 1942), two cowboys are riding south for the winter when they come to a small settlement and one of them has a dangerous idea about how to make some extra money.

“On Bakeoven Grade”, from the July 17, 1948 issue of COLLIER’S, is a domestic drama set at a small, isolated ranch that also serves as a stagecoach way station.

“Dark Land Waiting” (July 27, 1940) is about a young widow with a small child trying to make a life for the two of them on a homestead on the Great Plains.

“Prairie Town”, originally published as “Faithfully, Judith” (April 11, 1942), is a direct sequel to “Dark Land Waiting” even though it was published nearly two years later. This one is about the arrival of the new schoolteacher in the settlement founded in the previous story.

“Snow in the Canyon” (January 17, 1948) is a wagon train story in which a group of immigrants tries to make it through a dangerous canyon before they’re trapped there by a sudden snowfall.

The protagonist of “The Long Years” (July 15, 1939) is the wife of a cavalry officer who has to deal with the emotional hardships of a life spent in frontier forts.

“Skirmish at Dry Fork” (July 25, 1942) is another cavalry story, this time about a clash between troopers and cowboys in a small settlement next to a fort.

“Martinet” (October 11, 1941) is my favorite story in this collection. A hard-as-nails, by-the-book cavalry officer returns to active duty at the fort where his former lover is married to another officer. This one’s got enough action and romance to have made a fine film in the 1940s.

The collection wraps up with “From the Tuality” (November 6, 1943). I admit, I didn’t know what the Tuality is and never came across it in my years of reading Westerns. Turns out it’s an area in Oregon, and that’s where the protagonist in the story comes from. He’s a farmer, bringing a load of apples to frontier Portland to sell, and he encounters danger and surprises there.

Several of these stories are hardly the action-packed Western yarns you’d expect from the cover, but they’re still enjoyable. It took me a while to warm up to Ernest Haycox’s work, but I’ve become a fan. He was a fine writer, and these are all top-notch stories with well-drawn characters. Haycox was never a great action writer, but he could really turn up the heat on his characters. As a sampler of Haycox’s best work in the short story format, you can’t beat RAWHIDE RANGE.

Mage, Maze, Demon - Charles Allen Gramlich

The story “Mage, Maze, Demon” by Charles Allen Gramlich is the latest entry in the Veridical Dreams series, based on the dream journals of Kyle J. Knapp and developed by David Cranmer of Beat to a Pulp. It’s the tale of a barbarian named Bryle, whose help is enlisted by a sinister sorcerer (really, what other kind is there?) to recover a valuable artifact hidden in a maze and guarded by a demon as well as other mystical threats. Don’t think you know everything that’s going to happen once Bryle gets in that maze, though. Gramlich has a few nice plot twists up his sleeve.

As you’d expect from a veteran writer and long-time scholar of Robert E. Howard’s work, Gramlich spins a top-notch sword and sorcery yarn. The action races along and comes to a very satisfying conclusion. Bryle is an appealing protagonist, and I’m particularly fond of one of the non-human characters who becomes, in effect, Bryle’s sidekick, even with no dialogue. “Mage, Maze, Demon” is a very entertaining fantasy tale and gets a high recommendation from me.

Tuesday's Overlooked Movies: Defiance

(This post originally appeared in slightly different form on December 10, 2009.)

As I’ve mentioned before, I’m a sucker for World War II movies, which is probably one reason I had so much fun writing the books in the Last Good War series a few years ago. DEFIANCE is definitely a World War II movie, but a bit different than most. It’s about a group of Belorussian Jews who take to the woods and hide when the Nazis come in and take over in 1939. A couple of brothers (played by Daniel Craig and Liev Schrieber) who are former smugglers put their criminal background to good use as they become the leaders of the group and turn it into a resistance unit to fight the Germans.

DEFIANCE is based on a true story (though I have no idea how historically accurate it really is) and is an old-fashioned and very good film. There’s a lot of action that’s staged and shot so that you can tell what’s going on, and there are also well-developed characters, a compelling story, and a very satisfying ending. I didn’t even come close to nodding off, which is a rarity for me when I watch a movie. Now, it is almost unrelentingly grim, which you’d expect from the subject matter, but there are a few small touches of humor here and there, as well as the occasional stand-up-and-cheer moment. Craig and Schrieber are good as the leads, but really the whole cast is excellent. I wasn’t sure what to expect from this one, but turns out it’s a fine film.

Medical Update

Some of you are aware that I've been having eye problems over the past few months, and I finally got in to see the ophthalmologist today after a few insurance snafus. Turns out I may have glaucoma in my right eye. I knew something was going on with it. They did two tests today that turned out inconclusive, and I'm supposed to go back in a couple of weeks for a more definitive test. If it is glaucoma, they've caught it early and it's treatable with eye drops. So the prognosis isn't as good as "Hey, you're fine!", but it's not too bad. I'm also getting not only new glasses, but some special computer glasses as well to wear just while I'm working. If this will eliminate the frequent headaches where it feels like my skull's fixing to crack open, I'm all for it. If the computer glasses don't help, I may have to try to cut back some more. I'm already spending less time on-line than I used to. I can't cut back on the writing time. He also said that I'm starting to get cataracts, but that I'm years and years away from having to do anything about them.

Sunday Morning Bonus Pulp: Railroad Stories, March 1933

Nice cover on this issue of RAILROAD STORIES, one of the longest-running pulps. The featured story is by E.S. Dellinger, surely the star of the magazine during this era, whose stories appeared in almost every issue. The other authors in this issue are unknown to me with possibly two exceptions. There's a story by A. Leslie, who was definitely Alexander Leslie Scott, the prolific Western pulp author who created two iconic Texas Ranger characters, Jim Hatfield and Walt Slade. And also in the Table of Contents is a story by Alexander Scott, who I'd be willing to bet is the same guy using another pseudonym. (He also published under the names Bradford Scott, Leslie Scott, and Les Scott, that I know of. Maybe more.) I have a few issues of RAILROAD STORIES, but not this one. I ought to get around to reading them one of these days.

Saturday Morning Western Pulp: Walt Coburn's Western Magazine, April 1950

If I had all the time in the world, I'd start JAMES REASONER'S WESTERN MAGAZINE and write a new 30-40,000 word novel every month, plus another 20,000 words or so of Western stories by other authors. It would come out in trade paperback and e-book versions. Probably wouldn't sell much, but it would sure be fun.

WALT COBURN'S WESTERN MAGAZINE was a reprint pulp, but it had good stories and authors in it. This issue features Walt Coburn, of course, plus Ray Nafziger, Cliff Farrell, Foster-Harris, and Thomas Calvert McClary. And an injury to a hat cover to round things out. If I published JAMES REASONER'S WESTERN MAGAZINE, I could have injury to a hat covers . . .