I really liked the western "The Homesman", but I strongly suspect that it won't be to everyone's taste. And I will admit that even this die hard fan of westerns didn't find it a perfect movie. The opening thirty minutes of the movie, for one thing, are somewhat confusing with some details, though eventually everything comes together and the audience knows what's been going on. And after that first thirty minutes, the movie continues to test the patience of viewers by being quite slow moving and long (the movie is over two hours long.) But I stuck with the movie despite all those things, and I feel I was rewarded in the end. The atmosphere of the movie feels extremely authentic, showing many of the hardships life in the wild west gave many people. Though the story is slow-moving, there are a number of interesting vignettes along the way. And you probably won't predict what eventually happens - the major plot turn around the two-thirds mark really took me by surprise. The last scene is a little unclear as to where one of the characters is headed, but it is memorable all the same. As I said, the movie is not for all tastes, but western fans who are in a patient mood will likely embrace it despite its flaws.
143 Reviews
It's a hard film to watch, at times, but definitely worth it.
Hellmant9 January 2015
'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.
Watch our movie review show 'MOVIE TALK' at: http://youtu.be/1_bZp5ejQ4I
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.
Watch our movie review show 'MOVIE TALK' at: http://youtu.be/1_bZp5ejQ4I
Leave your vanity at home for this western journey
Ed-Shullivan11 May 2015
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.
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.
a dark bleak, grimy Western with soul and strong performances
Quinoa198425 March 2015
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).
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).
Three crazy women for five weeks is a lot more than I bargained for.
hitchcockthelegend6 March 2016
The Homesman is directed by Tommy Lee Jones, who also co-adapts the screenplay from Glendon Swarthout's novel with Kieran Fitzgerald and Wesley A. Oliver. It stars Jones, Hilary Swank, Grace Gummer, Miranda Otto and Sonja Richter. Music is by Marco Beltrami and cinematography by Rodrigo Prieto.
Three women who have been driven mad by pioneer life are to be transported East across the country to Iowa. When the men of the town refuse to stand up and be counted, single, pious and independent- minded Mary Bee Cuddy (Swank), enrols for the task. Recruiting scallywag drifter George Briggs (Jones) to aid the journey, it becomes an arduous journey that will make or break both of them.
The Homesman is a tricky Western, revisionist of heart and blood, and grim in nature, it's got a narrative that has (and will continue to do so) invited criticism from different quarters. It has been called misogynistic on one side of the fence, and feminist on the other! While there is a humongous narrative jump that has been lauded as great from some, and a film killer by others. The truth is that only each viewer can judge from their own personal perspectives. Personally I think that Jones has blended both the former angles to perfection, whilst the latter issue is to me an outstanding and brave piece of film.
The life of the pioneer women is shatteringly brought into sharp focus, right from the off there's brutality blended with utter sadness as Jones the director cuts no corners in setting up the film. Big question then hits us in the face - just how did the Old West deal with those suffering mental disturbance? In this instance it's to pack them off to the East where they will be tended by a minister and his wife (the latter of which played by Meryl Streep in little more than a cameo). The three women are vividly portrayed by Otto, Gummer and Richter, but this aspect of the film is only a side-bar to the crux of the story.
This is of course about Mary Cuddy and George Briggs, a man and woman at total different ends of the spectrum. She's sad at being alone without a man, he's more than happy to be without a woman. Everything suggests that this is going to be "one of those films" where opposites find a soul mate, but Jones and his backers may not be reverting to type? I mean for a start how interesting to find this journey going from West to East, that says much about the film right there, a pioneer journey in reverse. While the prominent ladies here may be mad, abused or needy, you will be searching far and wide for a decent man in this here tale.
The landscapes are deftly photographed by Prieto, eye opening but never to the detriment of the narrative thrust of pioneer hardship. Betrami lays ethereal piano and string arrangements all over the piece, while joining Streep in short bursts of cameo characterisations are James Spader, John Lithgow, William Fitchner, Hailee Steinfeld and Tim Blake Nelson, that's quite an armoury of performers. Even if you can't help but want more from them all.
But it's Swank and Jones, a superb pairing, who give the grade "A" performances. Jones lifts his old cantankerous ruffian character to greater heights, making Briggs the anti-hero to the anti-hero. While Swank hasn't been this great for a long time, making Mary Cuddy strong and inspiring, yet also evidently suffering inner turmoil. Swank's turn epitomises The Homesman, shrewd and insightful, humane and heartfelt. Top stuff all round, it's great to see modern directors confident enough to make biting moody Westerns. 9/10
Three women who have been driven mad by pioneer life are to be transported East across the country to Iowa. When the men of the town refuse to stand up and be counted, single, pious and independent- minded Mary Bee Cuddy (Swank), enrols for the task. Recruiting scallywag drifter George Briggs (Jones) to aid the journey, it becomes an arduous journey that will make or break both of them.
The Homesman is a tricky Western, revisionist of heart and blood, and grim in nature, it's got a narrative that has (and will continue to do so) invited criticism from different quarters. It has been called misogynistic on one side of the fence, and feminist on the other! While there is a humongous narrative jump that has been lauded as great from some, and a film killer by others. The truth is that only each viewer can judge from their own personal perspectives. Personally I think that Jones has blended both the former angles to perfection, whilst the latter issue is to me an outstanding and brave piece of film.
The life of the pioneer women is shatteringly brought into sharp focus, right from the off there's brutality blended with utter sadness as Jones the director cuts no corners in setting up the film. Big question then hits us in the face - just how did the Old West deal with those suffering mental disturbance? In this instance it's to pack them off to the East where they will be tended by a minister and his wife (the latter of which played by Meryl Streep in little more than a cameo). The three women are vividly portrayed by Otto, Gummer and Richter, but this aspect of the film is only a side-bar to the crux of the story.
This is of course about Mary Cuddy and George Briggs, a man and woman at total different ends of the spectrum. She's sad at being alone without a man, he's more than happy to be without a woman. Everything suggests that this is going to be "one of those films" where opposites find a soul mate, but Jones and his backers may not be reverting to type? I mean for a start how interesting to find this journey going from West to East, that says much about the film right there, a pioneer journey in reverse. While the prominent ladies here may be mad, abused or needy, you will be searching far and wide for a decent man in this here tale.
The landscapes are deftly photographed by Prieto, eye opening but never to the detriment of the narrative thrust of pioneer hardship. Betrami lays ethereal piano and string arrangements all over the piece, while joining Streep in short bursts of cameo characterisations are James Spader, John Lithgow, William Fitchner, Hailee Steinfeld and Tim Blake Nelson, that's quite an armoury of performers. Even if you can't help but want more from them all.
But it's Swank and Jones, a superb pairing, who give the grade "A" performances. Jones lifts his old cantankerous ruffian character to greater heights, making Briggs the anti-hero to the anti-hero. While Swank hasn't been this great for a long time, making Mary Cuddy strong and inspiring, yet also evidently suffering inner turmoil. Swank's turn epitomises The Homesman, shrewd and insightful, humane and heartfelt. Top stuff all round, it's great to see modern directors confident enough to make biting moody Westerns. 9/10
Tommy Lee Jones stars, writes, directs, produces & astounds in this journey through trust & the Wild West. Splendid!
TheSquiss3 December 2014
I need to get something off my chest: I'm not a fan of Tommy Lee Jones. I find him limited in range, much the same in most roles and, worst of all, he inexplicably won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for The Fugitive, thus depriving Pete Postlethwaite for In the Name of the Father, Leonardo Di Caprio for What's Eating Gilbert Grape and Ralph Fiennes for his performance of pure evil as Amon Goeth in Schindler's List. In modern parlance, WTF?
But periodically, just occasionally, once in a while, he inhabits the screen in a manner that forces one to reconsider one's judgment. And so it is with The Homesman.
The Homesman is something of a surprise, and not just because Tommy Lee Jones is on remarkable form in it. Beyond a fine performance, the man writes, directs and co-produces it. Hell's bells, when did he become so damn good at everything?
In the bad old days of the pioneers in the Wild West, Mary Bee Cuddy (Hilary Swank) steps in when three women drift into various states of madness and need to be transported across the country to be cared for properly. Shunned by their husbands, denied help from the town's menfolk and at a time where rape and murder hides behind every outcrop of rock and every gnarled cactus, Cuddy sets off alone on her hazardous journey. She stumbles across George Briggs (Tommy Lee Jones), a drifter seated atop his horse, with a noose around his neck, waiting for his steed to grow bored and leave him hanging. Literally. Cuddy offers to save him on the condition that he accompanies her and so begins a particular kind of journey.
The Homesman is probably described by many as a western, but that's lazy. This is a road movie on horseback, a saunter across the plains, a journey through mistrust and emotions where a mistake or misplaced trust will result in death. It is a story of hope and love, not the romantic kind, but real love for one's fellow human being, regardless of whether they can, or will, reciprocate.
Shot beautifully with sprawling, dusty vistas that warm the heart and prickle the nape, the backdrop is a vast canvas of character and mystery upon which splashes of colour are smeared in the shape of wandering, human dangers.
Though they say little, the trio of women (Grace Gummer, Miranda Otto and Sonja Richter) are far more than peripheral characters or the MacGuffin; they are the substance that binds The Homesman and the reason for the drama, gentle though it is. As we saw in Mr. Turner, such characters can so easily become pantomime animals with over performance that slaps the viewer in the face and detracts from the whole, of which they are but a small part. Not so here. Grace Gummer, particularly, as the mostly mute but vacantly animated Arabella is terrific and we want to reach into the screen and gently push her back towards sanity. It is a beautiful, understated performance that remains in mind long after the event.
Tommy Lee Jones and Hilary Swank make a surprising double act but the chemistry is there in abundance. Both Cuddy and Briggs carry their own needs and daemons with them; neither would give the other a second glance ordinarily but circumstance prompts odd, emotional couplings and theirs is fraught with suspicion and obligation. It is fantastic to see Swank back to the form that brought her gongs and made us sit up and watch in Boys Don't Cry and Million Dollar Baby. This is a far less demonstrative performance, but no less steely or impactful because of it.
Tommy Lee Jones's performance is the most compelling, engrossing that I can recall. Beyond that, his direction is worth celebrating loudly. The Homesman is only his second feature as director (after 2006's wonderful but little seen The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada) but there are hints that he may step into Clint Eastwood's shoes alongside Ben Affleck and Sean Penn. Just when we think we have the measure of this tale, he belts us sharply around the jowls, proving he has the mettle to surprise and shock us out of our complacency.
Maybe, after years and years of apparently coasting, broodily on film and staring into space, it will transpire he was merely absorbing, waiting for the moment to own both sides of the screen and captivate us.
You know what, maybe he's always been this good but I just didn't see it.
For more reviews from The Squiss, subscribe to my blog and like the Facebook page.
But periodically, just occasionally, once in a while, he inhabits the screen in a manner that forces one to reconsider one's judgment. And so it is with The Homesman.
The Homesman is something of a surprise, and not just because Tommy Lee Jones is on remarkable form in it. Beyond a fine performance, the man writes, directs and co-produces it. Hell's bells, when did he become so damn good at everything?
In the bad old days of the pioneers in the Wild West, Mary Bee Cuddy (Hilary Swank) steps in when three women drift into various states of madness and need to be transported across the country to be cared for properly. Shunned by their husbands, denied help from the town's menfolk and at a time where rape and murder hides behind every outcrop of rock and every gnarled cactus, Cuddy sets off alone on her hazardous journey. She stumbles across George Briggs (Tommy Lee Jones), a drifter seated atop his horse, with a noose around his neck, waiting for his steed to grow bored and leave him hanging. Literally. Cuddy offers to save him on the condition that he accompanies her and so begins a particular kind of journey.
The Homesman is probably described by many as a western, but that's lazy. This is a road movie on horseback, a saunter across the plains, a journey through mistrust and emotions where a mistake or misplaced trust will result in death. It is a story of hope and love, not the romantic kind, but real love for one's fellow human being, regardless of whether they can, or will, reciprocate.
Shot beautifully with sprawling, dusty vistas that warm the heart and prickle the nape, the backdrop is a vast canvas of character and mystery upon which splashes of colour are smeared in the shape of wandering, human dangers.
Though they say little, the trio of women (Grace Gummer, Miranda Otto and Sonja Richter) are far more than peripheral characters or the MacGuffin; they are the substance that binds The Homesman and the reason for the drama, gentle though it is. As we saw in Mr. Turner, such characters can so easily become pantomime animals with over performance that slaps the viewer in the face and detracts from the whole, of which they are but a small part. Not so here. Grace Gummer, particularly, as the mostly mute but vacantly animated Arabella is terrific and we want to reach into the screen and gently push her back towards sanity. It is a beautiful, understated performance that remains in mind long after the event.
Tommy Lee Jones and Hilary Swank make a surprising double act but the chemistry is there in abundance. Both Cuddy and Briggs carry their own needs and daemons with them; neither would give the other a second glance ordinarily but circumstance prompts odd, emotional couplings and theirs is fraught with suspicion and obligation. It is fantastic to see Swank back to the form that brought her gongs and made us sit up and watch in Boys Don't Cry and Million Dollar Baby. This is a far less demonstrative performance, but no less steely or impactful because of it.
Tommy Lee Jones's performance is the most compelling, engrossing that I can recall. Beyond that, his direction is worth celebrating loudly. The Homesman is only his second feature as director (after 2006's wonderful but little seen The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada) but there are hints that he may step into Clint Eastwood's shoes alongside Ben Affleck and Sean Penn. Just when we think we have the measure of this tale, he belts us sharply around the jowls, proving he has the mettle to surprise and shock us out of our complacency.
Maybe, after years and years of apparently coasting, broodily on film and staring into space, it will transpire he was merely absorbing, waiting for the moment to own both sides of the screen and captivate us.
You know what, maybe he's always been this good but I just didn't see it.
For more reviews from The Squiss, subscribe to my blog and like the Facebook page.
Moving and powerful Western , including strong drama along with impressive cinematography and emotive musical score
ma-cortes17 December 2015
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
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
Bleak But Bountiful
3xHCCH19 December 2014
December 19, 2014
A homesman is someone tasked to bring people back to their homes. In this film, the people that needed safe transport are three mentally- disturbed women. Mary Bee McCuddy, a plain but hardy spinster, volunteered to be their homesman. Along the way, she rescues a old man Thomas Briggs from being hung by vigilantes and conscripts him to help her with her mission in exchange for saving his life. Together, they gather the three ladies and escort them from Nebraska homes across the dangerous Midwest prairie to a safe haven in Iowa.
Hilary Swank is an actress who had already won a couple of Oscars for playing strong women who had taken on masculine roles in life -- Brandon Teena in "Boys Don't Cry" and Maggie Fitzgerald in "Million Dollar Baby". As Mary Bee McCuddy, a pioneer lady who bravely accepts a task only men are expected to do, Swank again goes on the same award-baiting path. The movie worked so well when Swank was on screen. She was absolutely compelling in this offbeat role as if this was written with her in mind. The movie was not the same when her character was not there.
Tommy Lee Jones is one actor who, as of late, had seemingly been confined to playing curmudgeonly and cantankerous old men, and his Briggs here is not any different. This film is only Jones' second directorial effort since his critically-acclaimed debut in "Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada" back in 2005. As director, he was very generous to his lead female star Swank, and always gave way to let her shine. As actor, he does consistently as he is expected but this role of a grumpy old outlaw seems too familiar for him already. He wisely played Briggs with some self-deprecating humor to break the tendency of the story to become monotonously bleak.
There were some remarkable cameos from other award-winning or nominated stars in much smaller roles. John Lithgow is his usual capable self playing the Reverend Dowd who reluctantly sends McCuddy off on her task. Hailee Steinfeld plays 16-year old Tabitha Hutchinson to whom Briggs offers a surprising proposal. James Spader, in his usual over-the-top style, plays condescending hotel owner Aloysius Duffy. And last, but definitely not the least, none other than THE Meryl Streep plays perfectly kind and hospitable Altha Carter, who runs the institution in Iowa the women are headed for. These actors appear on screen for only ten minutes or so, but they leave a lasting impression.
The narrative may have been slow and desolate . However, the unusual situations, disturbing imagery, startling story developments and committed performances by the cast all keep our attention riveted. The cinematography with the muted colors worked well with the windswept landscape of its setting, as much a character in itself. The costumes and production design rang true to its mid-19th century time period. The haunting and unsettling musical score create an atmosphere of bitter emptiness. The insufferably miserable topic is clearly not for everyone. But for those who decide to give it a chance, the rewards will be satisfying. 7/10.
A homesman is someone tasked to bring people back to their homes. In this film, the people that needed safe transport are three mentally- disturbed women. Mary Bee McCuddy, a plain but hardy spinster, volunteered to be their homesman. Along the way, she rescues a old man Thomas Briggs from being hung by vigilantes and conscripts him to help her with her mission in exchange for saving his life. Together, they gather the three ladies and escort them from Nebraska homes across the dangerous Midwest prairie to a safe haven in Iowa.
Hilary Swank is an actress who had already won a couple of Oscars for playing strong women who had taken on masculine roles in life -- Brandon Teena in "Boys Don't Cry" and Maggie Fitzgerald in "Million Dollar Baby". As Mary Bee McCuddy, a pioneer lady who bravely accepts a task only men are expected to do, Swank again goes on the same award-baiting path. The movie worked so well when Swank was on screen. She was absolutely compelling in this offbeat role as if this was written with her in mind. The movie was not the same when her character was not there.
Tommy Lee Jones is one actor who, as of late, had seemingly been confined to playing curmudgeonly and cantankerous old men, and his Briggs here is not any different. This film is only Jones' second directorial effort since his critically-acclaimed debut in "Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada" back in 2005. As director, he was very generous to his lead female star Swank, and always gave way to let her shine. As actor, he does consistently as he is expected but this role of a grumpy old outlaw seems too familiar for him already. He wisely played Briggs with some self-deprecating humor to break the tendency of the story to become monotonously bleak.
There were some remarkable cameos from other award-winning or nominated stars in much smaller roles. John Lithgow is his usual capable self playing the Reverend Dowd who reluctantly sends McCuddy off on her task. Hailee Steinfeld plays 16-year old Tabitha Hutchinson to whom Briggs offers a surprising proposal. James Spader, in his usual over-the-top style, plays condescending hotel owner Aloysius Duffy. And last, but definitely not the least, none other than THE Meryl Streep plays perfectly kind and hospitable Altha Carter, who runs the institution in Iowa the women are headed for. These actors appear on screen for only ten minutes or so, but they leave a lasting impression.
The narrative may have been slow and desolate . However, the unusual situations, disturbing imagery, startling story developments and committed performances by the cast all keep our attention riveted. The cinematography with the muted colors worked well with the windswept landscape of its setting, as much a character in itself. The costumes and production design rang true to its mid-19th century time period. The haunting and unsettling musical score create an atmosphere of bitter emptiness. The insufferably miserable topic is clearly not for everyone. But for those who decide to give it a chance, the rewards will be satisfying. 7/10.
What a Strange, Haunting, Harsh, Brutal and Beautiful This Movie Gem Is
85122228 January 2016
Greetings from Lithuania.
"The Homesman" (2014) is a western like you probably haven't seen it yet, because i surely didn't before. It is not a traditional western by any means. There isn't much (almost none actually) of a traditional western genre action in this movie, but lot of things happen through this kinda slow moving and very simple, but hardly forgettable journey. Basicaly this is a road movie, set in a wild west, with some unusual company. If you think that between two very different people (5 VERY different people in total) along the way some predictable bonding will happen, you will be right and at the same time absolutely wrong, because there isn't anything predictable it this great, haunting little movie gem. And i tell you, there is a shocking plot move in the third half of the movie, that even i couldn't see coming and it literally left me speechless.
Overall, "The Homesman" is a great little movie gem, but it is not for everyone. Filled with amazing extended cameos, great acting by two main and 3 side characters, great and not traditional writing, superb cinematography and very solid and confident directing - this sometimes weird movie will definitely win over you, if you are tired from all superhero and predictable action movies. This is one heck of a movie.
"The Homesman" (2014) is a western like you probably haven't seen it yet, because i surely didn't before. It is not a traditional western by any means. There isn't much (almost none actually) of a traditional western genre action in this movie, but lot of things happen through this kinda slow moving and very simple, but hardly forgettable journey. Basicaly this is a road movie, set in a wild west, with some unusual company. If you think that between two very different people (5 VERY different people in total) along the way some predictable bonding will happen, you will be right and at the same time absolutely wrong, because there isn't anything predictable it this great, haunting little movie gem. And i tell you, there is a shocking plot move in the third half of the movie, that even i couldn't see coming and it literally left me speechless.
Overall, "The Homesman" is a great little movie gem, but it is not for everyone. Filled with amazing extended cameos, great acting by two main and 3 side characters, great and not traditional writing, superb cinematography and very solid and confident directing - this sometimes weird movie will definitely win over you, if you are tired from all superhero and predictable action movies. This is one heck of a movie.
Brutally Honest and Unconventional Western that Pulls Few Punches
LeonLouisRicci5 May 2015
Director/Star/Screenwriter Tommy Lee Jones takes a major Chance with this Unusual Western Tale about Desperation and Insanity on the Harsh Nebraskan Plains in Americas Formative Years. It seems, by the Movie's Bomb at the Box Office it was a Chance Not Worth Taking.
Too Bad. It is one of those Gritty, Artistic, Brutally Honest Renditions of a Reality that is Conveniently Forgotten most of the time in the Western Genre, and perhaps for Good Reason. It is Relentlessly Depressing Watching these Fortuitous Folks Fighting the Forces of Nature and Humanity's Horrific Unbridled Behavior.
Hilary Swank is Superb as the Strongest (Or is She?) Person in this Depressing Display of Oddball Odious Types. Jones and the rest of the Cast also do Strong Work and the Framing is Fantastic. The Story of Transporting Three Insane Women Across the vast Vistas of a Cold and Unforgiving Landscape is Rough Going, for the Participants and the Audience.
If Your Constitution will Allow such Nastiness to Invade the Sensibilities of Entertainment, there can be Found something of Value in this Decidedly Downbeat Adventure. But Deep Empathetic Viewers may want to Pass, although those with the Guts to Carry On can find a goodly Amount of Artistry in this Offbeat and very Unconventional Western.
Too Bad. It is one of those Gritty, Artistic, Brutally Honest Renditions of a Reality that is Conveniently Forgotten most of the time in the Western Genre, and perhaps for Good Reason. It is Relentlessly Depressing Watching these Fortuitous Folks Fighting the Forces of Nature and Humanity's Horrific Unbridled Behavior.
Hilary Swank is Superb as the Strongest (Or is She?) Person in this Depressing Display of Oddball Odious Types. Jones and the rest of the Cast also do Strong Work and the Framing is Fantastic. The Story of Transporting Three Insane Women Across the vast Vistas of a Cold and Unforgiving Landscape is Rough Going, for the Participants and the Audience.
If Your Constitution will Allow such Nastiness to Invade the Sensibilities of Entertainment, there can be Found something of Value in this Decidedly Downbeat Adventure. But Deep Empathetic Viewers may want to Pass, although those with the Guts to Carry On can find a goodly Amount of Artistry in this Offbeat and very Unconventional Western.
I didn't want it to be over
albrechtcm22 February 2015
Given that three women in the Nebraska Territory all went raving mad at the same time (maybe it was the Danish rye bread), this tale grabs us immediately with its starkness, bitterness and coldness, not to mention lack of compassion. Tommy Lee Jones as a drunken old reject is right on the mark. Hillary Swank is no longer a sexy young gal, rather a bitter lonely hard-working single woman trying to eke out a living in the unforgiving wilderness. Every scene, every moment is captivating. You may not even like what you're seeing, but you can't stop watching. Somehow, even though I thought three mad women at one time seemed contrived, I had to accept that it was just that way. Shortly after getting organized, the film turns into a road picture, but what a road, or lack thereof. Jones, Swank and the three locas have to traverse empty countryside, facing drought, Indians, hunger, privation of every kind, for at least five weeks to get to a place where a kindly preacher's wife (Meryl Streep, as usually so immersed in this small part that you just know she's really a long-suffering preacher's wife) has promised to care for them. Developer James Spader too has only a few brief moments to do his thing, but it's unforgettable. When my granddaughter was small, we used to watch films together. Sometimes when we watched a film she really really liked, (think Zoot Suit), she'd burst out crying at the end. I'd ask, "Why are you crying, Baby Girl?" and she'd say, "Because I didn't want it to be over." I felt this way about The Homesman. I didn't want it to be over. I had lots more questions and things I'd like to see resolved. What happened to the hotel and town development? What happened to the man (William Fichtner, always a pleasure) and his two little girls? What happened to the crazy women and whatever happened to Briggs (Jones)? A sad cold story, but one you just can't walk away from.
This is as close as you can to history without being there.
noskcirenoj11 May 2015
My mother was born in a sod house on the prairie of North Dakota and my grandmother was the town mid-wife and abortionist. Homesteading was hard and demanding and Tommy Lee Jones has captured the the gut-level struggle that came with 160 acres and the nearest neighbor five or ten miles away. It drove those without an iron will to insanity. If you are looking for a shoot-um-up western, this is NOT it, but if you love the history of the frontier, and want to get a feel for its tragedy and day to day fight for survival, this is a great movie. Beautifully filmed, expertly acted, wonderfully scripted, I could not have asked for more. I have never liked Hillary Swank, but this was an incredible performance. Tommy Lee Jones was his beautifully curmudgeoned self. I especially liked the accurate use of period firearms and I will not quibble over the availability of 1851 36 caliber paper cartridges in end of the earth Nebraska Territory nor Ms Swank having a wardrobe of new dresses through out the film. The film accurately captured the ethos of the western prairie and gave me a look and a feel into my own grandparents. Thank you Tommy Lee Jones for a classic.
Remarkable work of auteur cinema -- realism at its best
jdeureka20 July 2014
Tommy Lee Jones has a wry, dry character -- rich and deep as unwatered open plains of the Americas. He's transferred his particular personality power to the story of The Homesman. He's successfully created a fine work of "auteur cinema" (much as I personally think this form rarely exists).
The Homesman is an emotionally and powerful, idea-rich, almost humorless story -- with an immense amount of humor. It has very tight, economic tale telling with no fat on the bone; in which much is implied, historical accuracy hits its target by nuance, and the story itself is deeply respectful of an intelligent audience.
The Homesman is not "entertainment" in the haha, shoot-'em-up Western sense. It's realism committed to a moral cause -- criticism of the disenfranchised, the homeless, the people who cannot make it no matter how hard they try. It has a brilliant sense of time and place that tells the life stories of dozens of hard-enduring, long-suffering "forgotten men" -- the women no less than the men.
The key heartbreaker is Hilary Swank's character of Miss Mary Bee Cuddy. She's born into a Western frontier world where she and everyone else believes and practices that "No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." Hard workers and decent people. But tragically that is not enough. Why? The Homesman leaves that question deliciously unanswered. Life is not fair. God is not just.
Beautifully The Homesman does -- kind of -- answer life's problems with the value of sheer vitality and gutsiness itself. Thus that key visual motif in the movie that comes from: George Caleb Bingham, "The Jolly Flatboatmen". We must dance the dance of life, however mad.
The Homesman is an emotionally and powerful, idea-rich, almost humorless story -- with an immense amount of humor. It has very tight, economic tale telling with no fat on the bone; in which much is implied, historical accuracy hits its target by nuance, and the story itself is deeply respectful of an intelligent audience.
The Homesman is not "entertainment" in the haha, shoot-'em-up Western sense. It's realism committed to a moral cause -- criticism of the disenfranchised, the homeless, the people who cannot make it no matter how hard they try. It has a brilliant sense of time and place that tells the life stories of dozens of hard-enduring, long-suffering "forgotten men" -- the women no less than the men.
The key heartbreaker is Hilary Swank's character of Miss Mary Bee Cuddy. She's born into a Western frontier world where she and everyone else believes and practices that "No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." Hard workers and decent people. But tragically that is not enough. Why? The Homesman leaves that question deliciously unanswered. Life is not fair. God is not just.
Beautifully The Homesman does -- kind of -- answer life's problems with the value of sheer vitality and gutsiness itself. Thus that key visual motif in the movie that comes from: George Caleb Bingham, "The Jolly Flatboatmen". We must dance the dance of life, however mad.
Unusual and unique neo western as never seen before !!!
elo-equipamentos26 March 2020
Tommy Lee Jones takes a taste for directing in high style as The Burial Of Melquiades Estrada, this turn he goes back as director and actor in a unusual matter as never seen before in this genre as far I remember, Hilary Swank plays Mary Bee Cuddy a strong single woman who wants get marry, due she getting older faster, however your tough behavior avoids the applicants, when three women gonna mad with mental disorder, the Nebraska's community decides that someone must takes back these unfortunate women to their hometown, no one ability to the job, then Mary decides to do this hard enterprise, in the middle he finds a man about to be hanging, Mr. George Briggs begging to be set free, the wise woman makes he swear that he will help her in this journey, in such condition he accepts, along the way Briggs has to stands the bossy woman, they know each other, Briggs is a sort of easy life, free at own will, in reverse of Mary way of thinking, she proposes to Briggs a marriage after the journey, even upset with Briggs's denial at night she asking for a night of love, at next day he found her death by hanging, devastating he tries drop out the three mad women there, suddenly they follow him at the river, he realizes that has to carry on his promisse until the final destiny at Iowa, fabulous picture, unusual and audacious, it probably happened on those days, although anyone touch in this matter yet, until now!!
Resume:
First watch: 2020 / How many: 1 / DVD / Rating: 8
Resume:
First watch: 2020 / How many: 1 / DVD / Rating: 8
Driven Insane by the American Way
evanston_dad8 March 2016
I'm not at all surprised that "The Homesman" slipped through the cracks, as it defies categorization and may just be one of the least commercially bankable films I've ever seen. But it's a surprisingly good little movie and one that deserves an audience.
Tommy Lee Jones directed and stars in this film about a drunken roustabout (Jones) who teams up with a prim spinster (Hilary Swank) to transport back to their families three insane women who've been undone by brutal life on the American prairie. It's a film about the weakness of men to do what is right, and the fortitude of a woman whose faith and sense of goodness gives her the strength to do what others can't or won't....Until it's not, and it instead becomes about the difference between those who want to do the right thing but can't get it done and those who do the right things for the wrong reasons but are actually successful at it. It's about the practicality of goodness, and about how sometimes the world exposes things that are generally considered to be valuable human traits -- empathy, devotion, religious conviction -- as weaknesses when they interfere with the ability to actually do the right thing rather than simply talk about it.
Swank and Jones are sensational, as are the production values that bring alive the American nowhere of the mid-1800s. The film is completely unpredictable in the best way. I had no idea where it was going from one moment to the next and enjoyed every minute of not knowing.
I found this one streaming on Netflix and it's well worth checking out.
Grade: A
Tommy Lee Jones directed and stars in this film about a drunken roustabout (Jones) who teams up with a prim spinster (Hilary Swank) to transport back to their families three insane women who've been undone by brutal life on the American prairie. It's a film about the weakness of men to do what is right, and the fortitude of a woman whose faith and sense of goodness gives her the strength to do what others can't or won't....Until it's not, and it instead becomes about the difference between those who want to do the right thing but can't get it done and those who do the right things for the wrong reasons but are actually successful at it. It's about the practicality of goodness, and about how sometimes the world exposes things that are generally considered to be valuable human traits -- empathy, devotion, religious conviction -- as weaknesses when they interfere with the ability to actually do the right thing rather than simply talk about it.
Swank and Jones are sensational, as are the production values that bring alive the American nowhere of the mid-1800s. The film is completely unpredictable in the best way. I had no idea where it was going from one moment to the next and enjoyed every minute of not knowing.
I found this one streaming on Netflix and it's well worth checking out.
Grade: A
Great performances by Jones and Swank
zetes17 December 2014
Very good Western, Jones' follow-up to the also excellent The Three Burials of Melquiadas Estrada. I think I liked that one slightly better, but this is very solid, despite some bits of poor editing and some bits of unwelcome weirdness. It's very episodic, as well, though I kind of liked how it was structured. Hilary Swank stars as a single woman in her early 30s out West. When three women in the small settlement of Loup go insane, she volunteers to take them back to civilization so they can get care. Knowing she's not going to be able to cut it alone, she picks up crazy old coot Tommy Lee Jones and brings him along. Swank and Jones are both very good in the film. Plenty of other fine, little performances in the film abound from the likes of William Fichtner, Jesse Plemons, John Lithgow, James Spader (actually not sure if I'd call his uber-Irish performance good or not, but he was amusing), Tim Blake Nelson and Meryl Streep. I kind of hated the depiction of the three crazy women. One of them is Grace Gummer. I think she went insane because she knows she'll never be as good as her mom, and they basically end up returning her butt right to her mother (Streep, if you didn't know).
The way things were
pcrawake23 September 2014
The Homesman, written and directed and starring Tommy Lee Jones tells the story of Mary Bee Cuddy (Hilary Swank) a spinster who takes on the responsibility of bringing three insane women to Iowa where they can be taken care of.
She saves or spares the life of George Briggs (Tommy Lee Jones) and enlists him on her arduous five week journey.
When you see Hilary Swank and Tommy Lee Jones, you know the acting is going to be stellar. The parts of the insane women, Arabella Sours (Grace Gummer), Theoline Belknapp (Miranda Otto), Gro Svendsen (Sonja Richter) because of the great directing remained the focus while being secondary characters. The movie had a Shakespearean feel to it and that is a great compliment. These ladies portrayed insanity, believably and that takes serious dedication and acting ability.
"The Homesman" was a tragedy and because of it, some people might not be able to pallet the story; there were some shocking attention grabbing scenes that the average viewer might not be prepared for. Those scenes, to me, were great examples of a different time, a time when life was hard and people died.
The Homesman is a story that sits with you and makes you thankful for many things, even if it just the shoes on your feet.
She saves or spares the life of George Briggs (Tommy Lee Jones) and enlists him on her arduous five week journey.
When you see Hilary Swank and Tommy Lee Jones, you know the acting is going to be stellar. The parts of the insane women, Arabella Sours (Grace Gummer), Theoline Belknapp (Miranda Otto), Gro Svendsen (Sonja Richter) because of the great directing remained the focus while being secondary characters. The movie had a Shakespearean feel to it and that is a great compliment. These ladies portrayed insanity, believably and that takes serious dedication and acting ability.
"The Homesman" was a tragedy and because of it, some people might not be able to pallet the story; there were some shocking attention grabbing scenes that the average viewer might not be prepared for. Those scenes, to me, were great examples of a different time, a time when life was hard and people died.
The Homesman is a story that sits with you and makes you thankful for many things, even if it just the shoes on your feet.
Harrowing exploration of mental illness in less enlightened times
Leofwine_draca19 November 2016
THE HOMESMAN is a dark and gritty western exploring the topic of mental illness in less enlightened times. The story was adapted by Tommy Lee Jones from a 1980s novel, and Jones also directed and stars in the picture as the titular character. He plays an old-timer who agrees to help Hilary Swank transport three mentally ill women some 500 miles to a place of sanctuary where they can be cared for.
First off, this is very well shot movie with strong direction from Jones, whose performance is also a quality one. The colours are bright and the landscapes are beauty, which contrasts with the ugly scenes involving the main characters. Mental illness has always been a difficult subject matter for cinema - ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST is one of the few successful explorations of the topic - and it translates into a depressing and yes, upsetting story here.
There are some dark twists and turns along the way, but the characters and acting keep you watching, and at least one crowd-pleasing moment designed to lift the spirits a little. THE HOMESMAN isn't really a film you can say you enjoy watching, but kudos to Jones for making something a bit different from the norm.
First off, this is very well shot movie with strong direction from Jones, whose performance is also a quality one. The colours are bright and the landscapes are beauty, which contrasts with the ugly scenes involving the main characters. Mental illness has always been a difficult subject matter for cinema - ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST is one of the few successful explorations of the topic - and it translates into a depressing and yes, upsetting story here.
There are some dark twists and turns along the way, but the characters and acting keep you watching, and at least one crowd-pleasing moment designed to lift the spirits a little. THE HOMESMAN isn't really a film you can say you enjoy watching, but kudos to Jones for making something a bit different from the norm.
Home is where ....
kosmasp25 April 2015
Well, where is it? Some might think it is in an "abandoned" house, some others feel the church is their home and so on. This movie might not feel like home for those who expect a Western with a lot of action. If that's what you're expecting, don't even bother watching this. This is closer to a road movie than to an action movie.
That being said, it is very well made, with magnificent turns from our two lead actors. There's things happening along the way that you might not expect (at least I didn't expect them to happen), but it's the journey and the "task" at hand, which will either fascinate you or annoy you. One thing is for sure: Tommy Lee can dance ... Make of it/this whatever you think or want to ...
That being said, it is very well made, with magnificent turns from our two lead actors. There's things happening along the way that you might not expect (at least I didn't expect them to happen), but it's the journey and the "task" at hand, which will either fascinate you or annoy you. One thing is for sure: Tommy Lee can dance ... Make of it/this whatever you think or want to ...
A unique and moving Western
eddie_baggins16 March 2015
In a genre that now sadly remains idle a majority of the time, it's a great joy to see grizzled industry veteran and virtual real life cowboy Tommy Lee Jones tackle Glendon Swarthout's source novel and create one of the most fully formed and interesting Westerns of the modern age, in what is a brutally raw, violently unapologetic and hauntingly beautiful modern day tale of the Wild West unlike any other before it and with a cast of uniformly great acting turns, The Homesman is one of the year's best films regardless of genre.
Reigniting an oft far to dormant genre, Tommy Lee Jones has here gone on with the strength he showed as director in The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada and created a world set in the west that seemingly takes its cues from the novels of Cormac McCarthy and the visuals of a Coen Brothers journey and moulds it into a story that is an original and intriguing take of life in the harsh confines of the west. Jones's direction is quite faultless in the film, with wonderful help from DOP Rodrigo Prieto and composer Marco Beltrami, he truly creates some of the year's most memorable and at times most haunting imagery. Whether it be the solemn sight of washing clothes in the open plains of the frontier, a particularly large homestead fire or a raft of wince inducing moments involving the 3 tormented women at the centre of this journey, The Homesman is filled to the brim with outstanding movie making moments that are highlighted even more so due to a surrounding of multilayered characters and fine acting turns.
Once more proving to the industry and we the audience members that she is one of the best actresses in the business, Hilary Swank delivers another award worthy turn as hardened city girl turned farmer Mary Bee Buddy who is the heart and soul of this tale. Mary Bee is a character both to be encouraged by and also saddened by and it's easily one of the year's most unpredictable character arcs. As good as Swank is, she is equally matched by Jones himself as lost soul ex-army man George Briggs. It's a joy to behold Jones in what was clearly a role he relished, from dark humour, moments of stark reflection or instances of unbridled dancing happiness, Jones delivers a turn that is easily his best in years and arguable of his career. These two leads are fantastically supported by all who appear throughout The Homesman's journey, from all three actresses locked away in the back of the wagon, brief appearances from the likes of Tim Blake Nelson, Jesse Plemons or James Spader, the ensemble of the picture are all universally great.
Not a flawless film by any stretch of the imagination, The Homesman is however without doubt an affecting and moving motion picture that tells a story of heartbreak, love, loss and all things in between in the now underused setting of the Wild West that proves to be one of the year's most hauntingly realistic tales. The story here will take you places you never thought it would and come the touching final scene, an understanding of the great filmmaking you have just witnessed will wash over you and that is a feeling to be mightily thankful for.
4 and a half roasted pigs out of 5
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Reigniting an oft far to dormant genre, Tommy Lee Jones has here gone on with the strength he showed as director in The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada and created a world set in the west that seemingly takes its cues from the novels of Cormac McCarthy and the visuals of a Coen Brothers journey and moulds it into a story that is an original and intriguing take of life in the harsh confines of the west. Jones's direction is quite faultless in the film, with wonderful help from DOP Rodrigo Prieto and composer Marco Beltrami, he truly creates some of the year's most memorable and at times most haunting imagery. Whether it be the solemn sight of washing clothes in the open plains of the frontier, a particularly large homestead fire or a raft of wince inducing moments involving the 3 tormented women at the centre of this journey, The Homesman is filled to the brim with outstanding movie making moments that are highlighted even more so due to a surrounding of multilayered characters and fine acting turns.
Once more proving to the industry and we the audience members that she is one of the best actresses in the business, Hilary Swank delivers another award worthy turn as hardened city girl turned farmer Mary Bee Buddy who is the heart and soul of this tale. Mary Bee is a character both to be encouraged by and also saddened by and it's easily one of the year's most unpredictable character arcs. As good as Swank is, she is equally matched by Jones himself as lost soul ex-army man George Briggs. It's a joy to behold Jones in what was clearly a role he relished, from dark humour, moments of stark reflection or instances of unbridled dancing happiness, Jones delivers a turn that is easily his best in years and arguable of his career. These two leads are fantastically supported by all who appear throughout The Homesman's journey, from all three actresses locked away in the back of the wagon, brief appearances from the likes of Tim Blake Nelson, Jesse Plemons or James Spader, the ensemble of the picture are all universally great.
Not a flawless film by any stretch of the imagination, The Homesman is however without doubt an affecting and moving motion picture that tells a story of heartbreak, love, loss and all things in between in the now underused setting of the Wild West that proves to be one of the year's most hauntingly realistic tales. The story here will take you places you never thought it would and come the touching final scene, an understanding of the great filmmaking you have just witnessed will wash over you and that is a feeling to be mightily thankful for.
4 and a half roasted pigs out of 5
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www.jordanandeddie.wordpress.com
Good stuff
menvaffan21 September 2014
This is a great movie which in its offbeat dramaturgy depicts the unpredictability, pointlessness and hardships of life. And it does so with an underlying sense of humor which is almost Kafkaesque and absurd. Don't let the settings fool you –this is not a western flick, it is timeless, and it serves as a tasty, simple snack for the already thinking viewer. All "plotholes" pointed out by other reviewers actually makes sense when thinking about them, and once again kudos to the unpredictable, non-conformant, "non-template-A" storyline and character arcs which should be seen more in film and television.
A little too much use of "fade-in fade-out" in the cutting, a little unrealistic portrayal of mental disease, and a little uninspiring photography IMO actually, but otherwise a great flick for the thinking person. With guns.
A little too much use of "fade-in fade-out" in the cutting, a little unrealistic portrayal of mental disease, and a little uninspiring photography IMO actually, but otherwise a great flick for the thinking person. With guns.
A worthwhile experience
ruimsl4 March 2015
The Homesman represents a comeback of a movie genre, long forgotten by the public and hence the studios (or is it the other way around ??!!) – the western.
In this case, out the ordinary duplicity: good guy vs bad guy, we have a story that portrays the difficulties of the relationships of the first settlers of the remote America, namely the women.
Tommy Lee Jones and Hilary Swank embark on a perilous journey protecting 3 women gone crazy to a safe destination where they can be treated.
On the way we there we are shown the difficulties in the relationship between an unmarried woman with a lone ex-soldier, that just what's to be left alone.
It is very interesting to see the changes that traumatizing circumstances make in one's was of thinking.
Tommy Lee Jones and Hilary Swank are excellent actors and the movie is also enriched by some all-star cameos by John Lithgow, William Fitchner and Meryl Steep.
For those who like westerns it's a worthwhile experience.
In this case, out the ordinary duplicity: good guy vs bad guy, we have a story that portrays the difficulties of the relationships of the first settlers of the remote America, namely the women.
Tommy Lee Jones and Hilary Swank embark on a perilous journey protecting 3 women gone crazy to a safe destination where they can be treated.
On the way we there we are shown the difficulties in the relationship between an unmarried woman with a lone ex-soldier, that just what's to be left alone.
It is very interesting to see the changes that traumatizing circumstances make in one's was of thinking.
Tommy Lee Jones and Hilary Swank are excellent actors and the movie is also enriched by some all-star cameos by John Lithgow, William Fitchner and Meryl Steep.
For those who like westerns it's a worthwhile experience.
548th Review: Sparse and Terse with Plenty to Say
intelearts25 October 2014
The Homesman is a terrific film. It captures that very meaning of mean winter and is sparse and terse. The story of three woman driven mad who must be taken back across the Ohio is told in a straightforward manner, and Tommy Lee Jones does an excellent job as director and co-star. This is very much a women's film - and a Western that focuses on their story is welcome - especially as it sees life as anything but rosy.
This strong, unique treatment of the Western owes much to Eastwood's style, but has a voice of its own.
This for this reviewer is one of the major films of 2014 - it has real lingering power and powerful performances, coupled to a real sense of film (the sound is superbly empty). All in all one of the better films of 2014.
This strong, unique treatment of the Western owes much to Eastwood's style, but has a voice of its own.
This for this reviewer is one of the major films of 2014 - it has real lingering power and powerful performances, coupled to a real sense of film (the sound is superbly empty). All in all one of the better films of 2014.
Dismal plains Western contrasting the primeval West and the civilized East
Wuchakk9 October 2016
Released in 2014 and directed by Tommy Lee Jones, "The Homesman" stars Hillary Swank as a single pious woman living on the Nebraskan prairie. After saving a drifter from the gallows (Jones) they team-up to escort three mentally ill women to Iowa. Can they survive the journey? The three crazy women are played by Grace Gummer, Miranda Otto and Sonja Richter. James Spader and Meryl Streep have glorified cameos.
This is NOT a rousing Western in the least. It's a bleak portrayal of the hard life on the plains during the 1850s, similar in tone to 1972's "Bad Company" and 2015's "The Revenant, but without the latter's breathtaking mountain cinematography.
The story's engaging despite the mandatory mundaneness, but it loses points for being so dismal and occasionally nigh shocking (you'll know what I mean), but it's not always downbeat. The movie's acutely realistic, but mixed with an almost surrealistic episode that takes away from the believability, but this can be overlooked on the grounds that what happens is a type of hellish perdition of the arrogant.
The theme is the contrast of the primeval West and the civilized East. The West is so harsh that it drives some people mad and they must flee back East for succor. Survival in the West takes everything you have whereas the East is so comfortable that pompous pettiness manifests as a social staple (e.g. the women gossiping in the Iowa town). The Mississippi River (or Missouri River) is the separation point of the two worlds. See below for further commentary.
I did find it hard to believe that Mary Bee (Swank) would have a hard time finding a husband. Sure, her face isn't conventionally beautiful, but she has a smoking body (and she ain't even my type).
The movie runs 122 minutes and was shot in New Mexico and Lumpkin, Georgia.
GRADE: Borderline B/B- (6.5/10 Stars)
SUBTEXTUAL INSIGHTS *** SPOILER ALERT ***
The ferry boat is a transition from West to East and explains Briggs transition from primitive carnal man to civilized man with a conscience when he crosses over. Notice that he doesn't do the same thing to the gambling house that rejects him that he did to the hotel when he was on the other side.
The wooden tombstone he intends to put on Mary Bee's grave as he crosses back to the West is kicked overboard as a symbol that, in returning to the West, he was returning to his old self and would not continue with the idea to make Mary Bee's grave "proper," as she did for a stranger's child.
Mary Bee was a strong woman, but she didn't belong in the West because she was too civilized with her strong Christian moral code; and that's why it ultimately killed her.
This is NOT a rousing Western in the least. It's a bleak portrayal of the hard life on the plains during the 1850s, similar in tone to 1972's "Bad Company" and 2015's "The Revenant, but without the latter's breathtaking mountain cinematography.
The story's engaging despite the mandatory mundaneness, but it loses points for being so dismal and occasionally nigh shocking (you'll know what I mean), but it's not always downbeat. The movie's acutely realistic, but mixed with an almost surrealistic episode that takes away from the believability, but this can be overlooked on the grounds that what happens is a type of hellish perdition of the arrogant.
The theme is the contrast of the primeval West and the civilized East. The West is so harsh that it drives some people mad and they must flee back East for succor. Survival in the West takes everything you have whereas the East is so comfortable that pompous pettiness manifests as a social staple (e.g. the women gossiping in the Iowa town). The Mississippi River (or Missouri River) is the separation point of the two worlds. See below for further commentary.
I did find it hard to believe that Mary Bee (Swank) would have a hard time finding a husband. Sure, her face isn't conventionally beautiful, but she has a smoking body (and she ain't even my type).
The movie runs 122 minutes and was shot in New Mexico and Lumpkin, Georgia.
GRADE: Borderline B/B- (6.5/10 Stars)
SUBTEXTUAL INSIGHTS *** SPOILER ALERT ***
The ferry boat is a transition from West to East and explains Briggs transition from primitive carnal man to civilized man with a conscience when he crosses over. Notice that he doesn't do the same thing to the gambling house that rejects him that he did to the hotel when he was on the other side.
The wooden tombstone he intends to put on Mary Bee's grave as he crosses back to the West is kicked overboard as a symbol that, in returning to the West, he was returning to his old self and would not continue with the idea to make Mary Bee's grave "proper," as she did for a stranger's child.
Mary Bee was a strong woman, but she didn't belong in the West because she was too civilized with her strong Christian moral code; and that's why it ultimately killed her.
A very good ending
Gordon-1121 November 2014
This film tells the story of a 31 year old single woman who dislikes her life in the countryside as a pioneer. She takes the job to escort three mentally ill women to go to another state to seek help from a pastor.
"The Homesman" gets to the point right in the beginning of the film, and we are shown with key plot ideas. As Hilary Swank's strong willed character starts her journey to the east, she faces many different challenges - yet this travel across the inhospitable wilderness does not appear terribly exciting.
The ending is a surprise. I would not have guessed it, but in retrospect it all makes sense. I do sympathise with her, as her experience is probably a very common problem both back in those days and in modern times. It provokes much thoughts in both George and in me. I enjoyed watching "The Homesman", mainly because of the very good ending.
"The Homesman" gets to the point right in the beginning of the film, and we are shown with key plot ideas. As Hilary Swank's strong willed character starts her journey to the east, she faces many different challenges - yet this travel across the inhospitable wilderness does not appear terribly exciting.
The ending is a surprise. I would not have guessed it, but in retrospect it all makes sense. I do sympathise with her, as her experience is probably a very common problem both back in those days and in modern times. It provokes much thoughts in both George and in me. I enjoyed watching "The Homesman", mainly because of the very good ending.
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