In 1840s California, half-starved Scot Robert Carlyle has a taste for human flesh -- and a bedraggled patrol of US soldiers at a remote fort in the Sierra Nevada mountains find themselves in deadly peril after he turns up pretending to be a fellow officer.

There weren't many takers for this ghoulish mix of Western, black comedy and horror thriller -- and, with the cannibal theme and grisly tone to the proceedings, it's easy to see why.

But this is a cleverly-written, exciting and sleekly realised quasi-vampire movie that looks a treat with its snowy winter exteriors (filmed under great difficulties) and sounds great, too, thanks to music by Blur's Damon Albarn and Michael Nyman.

Carlyle delivers a lip-smackingly crazed performance and Guy Pearce makes a super beleaguered hero as he fights back when Carlyle causes mayhem.

Warning: this is strong meat, not for all tastes.