The Homesman

The Homesman is a watchable film depicting the old west in a more true, and less glorious, fashion that most westerns. At first it is confusing, with flashbacks to explain the story, but later it becomes clear.

Prarie madness sets in and three women are slated to be returned Back East. The problem is that one of the three "responsible" men is unwilling to step up, so a woman volunteers. She is strong and courageous, more than most men, but isolated and desperate for a husband because she is "bossy, and plain as an old tin can."

Her ultimate fate is incongruous, completely at odds with her character. A willful suspension of disbelief is required at this point.

Solid performances by Swank, Jones, Lithgow, and the actress who played the madwomen make it entertaining, if a bit long.

The Homesman, about a 31 year old (un-married/childless) woman (Hilary Swank) who takes up the challenge of bringing three crazed women across the Nebraska plains over five weeks with the help of a deserter-drifter left for dead (Jones), is in some ways meant to be a real Feminist Western (with a capital 'F'), and not in the way that a silly work like The Quick and the Dead was with Sharon Stone. Here, it's much more about depicting a time and place that was quite bleak and desolate and, in some spaces, without much hope. Ultimately Tommy Lee Jones, through the novel it's based on, sees a little more light at the end of the tunnel for his protagonist than, say, Eastwood did in Unforgiven. But it's a combination of things it's about, and emotionally the film does work quite well, in particular in the relationship that unfolds between the two leads.

If you're curious to see a western that has the love of the plains of the West visually speaking ala Ford, but has the dark contours of someone like Mann - and added to that those super dirty production designs and character realizations from Spaghetti Westerns - this might be it, at least up to a point. It's so unrelentingly dark in how it looks on at the deteriorating mental states of these women, and the desperation in the journey for Jones and Swanks' characters, that the few moments of humor are rather surprising - and welcome - especially when Jones first appears to Swank on the noose and the horse. It's the kind of scene that shows this actor, well into his 60's and pushing 70, trying something new in a performance (if only for a scene or two).

It's got a cast that is practically distracting for the who's who that shows up, mostly for one scene a piece: James Spader, Tim Blake Nelson, John Lithgow, William Fichtner, Meryl Streep (!) and Hailee Steinfeld (who appears almost to have wandered from the True Grit set to this one). There's so much going for the Homesman that it's a shame the script is uneven, and there's a plot twist two thirds of the way through that is sort of explained but not at all at the same time, and it leaves the film with a gaping tragedy that can never quite be filled. Interestingly, if you watch the behind the scenes on the blu-ray one of the screenwriters mentions the book left things unexplained as well. That might be fine in the book - or perhaps more was explained in other ways - but it still doesn't work, and what Jones goes for in awe-inspiring shots he leaves behind with some muddled story beats.

Nevertheless, The Homesman is a good Western, a solid western digging into the roots of the genre and mixing the unsavory and horrifying (not like a horror movie, just some repellant images at times, but for a point), though whether one will want to return to it like other, better Westerns is another story. It's the kind of picture I can't put down for its artistry, even if things can be looked at more critically, which may explain why it didn't find its way through the End-of-Awards-time (albeit it was accepted at Cannes).

'THE HOMESMAN': Four and a Half Stars (Out of Five)

Tommy Lee Jones directed, co-wrote and stars in this western/drama film (set in the 1850s midwest) about a 'spinster' and a 'drifter' transporting three women, driven mad by the hardships of the time, across the country. It costars Hilary Swank, Miranda Otto, Grace Gummer and Sonja Richter. It also features cameos by Meryl Streep, John Lithgow, James Spader, Tim Blake Nelson, William Fichtner and Hailee Steinfeld. The film was written by Jones, Kieran Fitzgerald and Wesley Oliver and it's based on the 1988 novel, of the same name, by Glendon Swarthout. French filmmaker Luc Besson served as a producer of the movie and it also features a breathtaking music score by Marco Beltrami. It's surprisingly dark, and extremely disturbing, but I enjoyed it due to it's strong character development, outstanding performances and odd beauty.

Swank plays Mary Bee Cuddy, a strong and independent 31-year-old woman from New York. She desperately wants to find a husband but can't, due to men finding her too plain looking (I don't think Swank looks bad at all in this movie, considering the film's time and setting). When the local reverend (Lithgow) asks for someone to transport three women across the country, to a church in Hebron Iowa, Cuddy volunteers. The women (Otto, Gummer and Richter) are all mentally ill and the church will provide the special help they need. Cuddy comes across a drifter named George Briggs (Jones), who's about to be lynched for 'claim jumping', and asks him for his help (in return for saving his life). The two make the long journey together and form an odd bond.

The movie has been called a 'feminist western', by many, and I'd definitely agree it's a strong female character study, about the hardships women faced at the time. Swank is outstanding in the co- lead and Jones is just as classic and tough as ever; he does (unintentionally I think) steal some of the female cast's thunder. Jones also proves he's an equally talented director (once again) and the movie is full of beautiful visuals, as well as haunting imagery. For me the highlight of the film is the beautiful music and the touching relationships formed by the movie's central characters (it also has a shocking and unexpected twist, at the end of the second act). It's a hard film to watch, at times, but definitely worth it; if you're a fan of the genre or even if you're not.

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I enjoy a good western but it would not be fair to this Tommy Lee Jones production to classify it as such without emphasizing the film is more than just a wagon trail journey of two unlikely characters across the rough and unforgiving western terrain. No, it is the story of two unlikely characters, a single and strong willed farmer named Mary Bee Cuddy played by Hilary Swank and a thieving drifter named George Briggs played by Tommy Lee Jones who agree to transport three women by wagon with real psychiatric (madness) problems from Nebraska to Idaho.

There have been hundreds of relatively good westerns produced in the past half century where the hero and heroine remain strong and stoic whilst riding through the barren lands their suits and dresses remain pressed and in pristine condition while their hair is coiffed perfectly, and miraculously the heroine's makeup never dries, cracks or runs. Well such is not the case in the Homesman.

Hilary Swank has never been afraid to shed the glamor of Hollywood and for her role as the stubborn, single, and capable farmer Mary Bee Cuddy the potential suitors that she asks to marry her turn her down and explain that she is far too plain looking, sexless, and too controlling in nature. So Mary Bee Cuddy agrees to make the arduous journey across the western plains maybe in the hope of finding a suitor in Idaho as she has run out of potential suitors in Nebraska and seems to be losing hope in raising a family on her own farm in Nebraska.

As Mary Bee Cuddy commences her journey she comes across someone even more homely and desperate than herself in the name of aging drifter George Briggs who is within minutes of losing his life at the end of a rope for illegally claiming mining rights to another persons staked property. The terms set forth by Mary Bee Cuddy before she will agree to free George Briggs from his futile situation and imminent death by hanging are simple. He must first agree to travel across the western plains of Nebraska to assist Mary Bee Cuddy in the transportation of three insane women to a church in Idaho where they will receive the care and attention they will require to survive.

And so the two hardened caretakers and their three insane passengers set out on their journey which I found to be not like any other western I had previously seen. This is not a humorous and light hearted western but a tough, grueling, and sad journey with what I was surprised provided unexpected results. Some people may not be happy with the last 30 minutes of this feature film, but this is actually where writer/actor/director Tommy Lee Jones hooked me with what I felt was a good feature film that ended strongly.

There are numerous cameos throughout the film including standout performances by Tim Blake Nelson as a lonesome cowboy, John Lithgow as Reverend Dowd, and Jesse Plemons as a derelict husband to one of the insane women. Look for mother Meryl Streep in Idaho as the Reverends wife Altha Carter who enjoys sharing the screen with her real life daughter Grace Gummer who plays one of the three insane women Arabella Sours.

I give the film a good 7 out of 10 rating.

Riveting film about a spinster , a drifter and a peculiar promise , being slickly developed by actor-director Tommy Lee Jones . Starring Hilary Swank returns to the heights of a career that saw her win two Best Actress Oscars by the age of 30 . This is her most recent film , The Homesman in which she starred opposite Tommy Lee Jones , John Lithgow , Meryl Streep , James Spader , among others . Here Tommy Lee Jones's acting and direction are magnificent and remaining cast is pretty well , giving terrific performances . This above average film concerns about a pious , independent-minded woman called Mary Bee Cuddy (Hilary Swank) is assigned by the village priest (John Lightow) to carry three women (Miranda Otto , Sonja Richter , and Grace Gummer , Meryl's Streep daughter) who have been driven mad by pioneer life . They have to be transported across the country by a covered wagon . The two-fisted woman obstinately carries out the dangerous assignment and in turn employs low-life drifter George Briggs (Tommy Lee Jones) to assist her . She forces the drifter for to a journey across the plains to locate the risked destination . Both of whom are determined to find the paths , through the prairies plagued by savage Indians , until the easy civilization . This journey will bring forward the stark contrast between the values of two ways of life and the landscape transversed is both geographical and emotional .

This enjoyable film is a touching and violent Western drama with elevated cinematographic values . The movie realizes an awesome actors reunion , showing the different characters and explores their apprehension , ambitions , fears and circumstances . The two protagonists result to be a pair ¨Quixotes¨ who obstinately undertake a trip whose objective looks to fulfill a pledge by whatever means . The main character George Briggs , superbly played by Tommy Lee Jones, seems to be living resolutely in the past and while the brave spinster wishes to marry him and create a family . Support cast is frankly excellent such as Barry Corbin , William Fichtner , Evan Jones , Jesse Plemons , Grace Gummer , Miranda Otto , and Tim Blake Nelson-James Spader, this duo previously appeared in ¨Lincoln¨ along with Tommy Lee and Hailee Steinfeld's second western after her Oscar-nominated , breakout role in ¨True Grit¨ . And , of course , the great Meryl Streep in her third collaboration with Tommy Lee Jones following "A Prairie Home Companion" and "Hope Springs . Intelligent and thoughtful screenplay by Kieran Fitzgerald , Wesley Oliver and the same Tommy Lee Jones , based on the novel by Glendon Swarthout that was published in 1988 ; in fact , Paul Newman owned the rights for a time, and wanted to direct the film himself , after a number of scripts, he gave up . Sensitive and evocative musical score by Marco Beltrani (Red eye , The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada) . Special mention for glimmer and fascinating cinematography by Rodrigo Prieto he splendidly reflects the impressive outdoors from the filming locations : Lumpkin , Georgia , San Miguel County , Santa Fe , Oikay Owinger Pueblo , New Mexico . Much of the movie was shot on Tommy Lee Jones's own ranch .

The film is a nice co-production , being produced , among others , by the great producer and director , the French Luc Besson . The picture was compellingly directed by Tommy Lee Jones , being his theatrical directing debut ¨The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada¨ that won a deserved prize in Cannes , this film bears a remarkable resemblance to ¨The Homesman¨ , dealing equally with a dangerous journey plenty of contrasts , attacks and many other things . His only other directing credits were the TV movies ¨Good old boys¨ (1995) and ¨The Sunset Limited¨ (2011) with Samuel L Jackson and all of them starred by Tommy Lee Jones . ¨Homesman¨ rating : Better than average , though overlong and slow-moving . Well worth watching , it's a must see for Tommy Lee Jones enthusiasts