By John Corrado

The 2024 Canadian Film Fest runs from March 18th to 23rd, with films screening in-person at Scotiabank Theatre in Toronto.

Director Audrey Cummings’ Place of Bones is an old school Western that plays as an affectionate riff on classic B-movies. Heather Graham stars in the film as Pandora, a frontier woman in 1876 who has lived alone on a remote ranch with her daughter Hester (Brielle Robillard) following the death of her husband.

They are many miles from the nearest town, having found ways to be self-sufficient. But things take a turn when they find an injured man named Calhoun (Corin Nemec), who’s been shot in the leg and has saddle bags full of cash. Pandora and Hester take him in and help nurse him back to health, but there is a posse of men who are after him, led by the vicious Bear John (Tom Hopper).

Cummings, working from a screenplay by Richard Taylor, has crafted a pulpy, female-driven Western with a nasty little twist to it. The performances by Graham and the rest of the cast are adequate for the material, with the breakout being Robillard, who holds her own. Shot on a ranch in California, Place of Bones mainly works as a throwback to old studio Westerns, and is pretty enjoyable as such. It’s a bit of a slow burn to start, but builds to a decently staged shootout in the last act that draws tension as gunfire is exchanged.

Film Rating: ★★½ (out of 4)

Place of Bones screens as part of the Canadian Film Fest on Wednesday, March 20th at 9:00pm at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto. Tickets and more information can be found right here.