Homesman left me with some mixed feelings. I really liked the idea and theme of this movie, but certain aspects of the storytelling are just ridiculous.
The story takes place in 1850s Nebraska where a small community of homesteaders decides to send three mad women to a home in Iowa. Mary Bee Cuddy (Hilary Swank), a seemingly strong and independent spinster, volunteers for the task of transporting these women. Along the way she meets George Briggs (Tommy Lee Jones), a scruffy-looking drifter and claim jumper, whom she rescues from certain death and subsequently recruits to help her complete the journey.
Homesman presents the viewer with rather depressing yet captivating tale of pioneering existence and hardships with particular focus on women. It's obviously something that you don't see very often in an average western.
The main issue with the film is that it suddenly loses momentum by switching its focus from Mary Bee Cuddy onto George Briggs. It's strange because Briggs is inherently far less interesting character than Cuddy; and by essentially promoting him from support role to the lead role, the film undermines its own feminist vibe. As a result the final 30 or so minutes feel like rather lengthy and pointless epilogue. It should be noted that this happens in the novel as well, so in that regard the film stays true to it. Yet it still doesn't make much sense to me.
Another minor issue with the movie can be attributed to the character of Mary Bee. The reason for her personal drama is extremely implausible. The idea that a successful, hard-working woman -- a woman capable of childbearing -- had trouble finding husband due to being "plain" looking, is quite frankly silly. This is almost the exact opposite of what was really going on in that specific period. The fact that many people lost their minds due to harsh conditions is true, but ironically, that is the same reason why someone like Mary Bee could've never been single for long.
In short, Homesman is a movie that gets period ambiance right, but produces a rather disjointed story with bizarre twist. It is still something that is worth watching, in my opinion. Both Tommy Lee Jones and Hilary Swank deliver very impressive performances.
The story takes place in 1850s Nebraska where a small community of homesteaders decides to send three mad women to a home in Iowa. Mary Bee Cuddy (Hilary Swank), a seemingly strong and independent spinster, volunteers for the task of transporting these women. Along the way she meets George Briggs (Tommy Lee Jones), a scruffy-looking drifter and claim jumper, whom she rescues from certain death and subsequently recruits to help her complete the journey.
Homesman presents the viewer with rather depressing yet captivating tale of pioneering existence and hardships with particular focus on women. It's obviously something that you don't see very often in an average western.
The main issue with the film is that it suddenly loses momentum by switching its focus from Mary Bee Cuddy onto George Briggs. It's strange because Briggs is inherently far less interesting character than Cuddy; and by essentially promoting him from support role to the lead role, the film undermines its own feminist vibe. As a result the final 30 or so minutes feel like rather lengthy and pointless epilogue. It should be noted that this happens in the novel as well, so in that regard the film stays true to it. Yet it still doesn't make much sense to me.
Another minor issue with the movie can be attributed to the character of Mary Bee. The reason for her personal drama is extremely implausible. The idea that a successful, hard-working woman -- a woman capable of childbearing -- had trouble finding husband due to being "plain" looking, is quite frankly silly. This is almost the exact opposite of what was really going on in that specific period. The fact that many people lost their minds due to harsh conditions is true, but ironically, that is the same reason why someone like Mary Bee could've never been single for long.
In short, Homesman is a movie that gets period ambiance right, but produces a rather disjointed story with bizarre twist. It is still something that is worth watching, in my opinion. Both Tommy Lee Jones and Hilary Swank deliver very impressive performances.