The Homesman seems like part of the modern western tradition of today, as in bleak and minimal. It shows what life was really like in the isolated prairie of the great plains. My only problem was the small historical inaccuracies, such as the New Mexico desert landscape being used for Nebraska which is much different. As well as the numerous slaves being shown carried across the Missouri when Iowa was always a free territory. That would have been much further South down to the Mississippi.

While the story is slightly odd, it's nicely filmed and the acting is quite good.

A bit of a downer but great work from both Hilary Swank and actor/director Tommy Lee Jones even a decade after Feels like one of the great old Western pics We need a 'homesman', that's what Mary Bee Cudy chooses to do when she has to transport 3 mentally unstable women across the country An unexpected assistance from Briggs has her hoping to make it through but the road is full of terrible ordeals, it's hard enough keeping 3 insane women without Mary losing her own sanity It helps this acts as a complex story of gender issues as well as changing conventions on the frontier involving resilience, forgiveness, and redemption The American landscape is a gem to look at, the score is composed authentically, and Jones directs the story with such grittiness and enough of a bleak edge There is a lot of heavy stuff to take in considering this is during the 1860's making it unforgiving, isolating, empty and lonely but it's done so magically Swank and Jones are fantastic leads in a hard place that creates hard people that maybe are incapable of change Good and bad still exist everywhere and this is a Western movie willing to show it

This was a really good film until a stupid scene concerning the Fairmont Hotel. That was just dumb writing. The acting was very good throughout! Swank and Jones are perfect. Especially the sex scene!!!

Although this film wasn't quite what I initially expected, I thought it was extremely good. Some of the twists and turns were truly shocking and tragic and the end was just like life, something important and meaningful drifting off to nowhere, dead ends and so much unresolved. I don't know what conclusions can be drawn, but it was certainly thought-provoking

A wonderful thought provoking film, shocking and surprising.

This movie was really great and unexpected. It's a story about what happened instead of a story about the way things should happen. It doesn't tell you how to feel about anything. Really beautiful artful film, sad and somewhat hopeful.

Disappointed in the storyline, no grief, no empathy, no explanation on why Cuddy killed herself. Nothing but despair and hopelessness. What a whacked out movie. Acting and storytelling just gets worse & worse as years go on. Hollyweird.

Thank God for Tommy Lee Jones. His scenes were at least watchable. But the rest of the movie is so cringe. A for effort it's difficult subject matter to cover.. but it feels like a miss to me.

It's a beautifully acted western full or interesting characters, beautifully shot landscapes and has an unusual perspective for the genre. It's anchored by two fantastic central performances from Swank and of course from Tommy Lee Jones who also co-wrote and directed. A must see western but it's bleakness and tone may not be for everyone.

It's easy to understand why the critics gave THE HOMESMAN good reviews and the audience didn't. As a movie, it's not the typical fare and it's well done (Tommy Lee Jones is his usual best!). But, entertaining; if you like bleak, cold and brutal with very little redemption? You'll really enjoy this!

it is exactly how a serious western movie would look like if Coen brothers and Tarantino would try to make it together

The cinematography, story line, acting, and direction all excelled. There are some surprising turns of events and a clever ending.

A worthy, bleak oddball western. If only I could believe that Mary Bee would have abandoned the journey in that way. But I reckon one of the points was that she herself had been driven mad by the frontier life as well.

Credit where it's due, I was not expecting this film to be as brutal as it was, nor for Tommy Lee Jones to willingly portray such an initially detestable character. This film drops you in the deep end right off the get-go, showcasing a female protagonist that showcases the strength to survive in a hostile environment without taking away from just how unforgiving the plains were; the stark, brown, wide cinematography coupled with a sharp soundtrack (by Rodrigo Prieto and Marco Beltrami, respectively) strip the American frontier of all its Howdy Doody idealism and excitement and leave nothing but a windswept hellscape for real people to struggle with. Swank is at once exceedingly capable but not inhuman, and is subject both to the expectations of her time and a sense of desperation. Outside of the (period-accurate) desolation though, it's difficult to say if The Homesman manages to reach a profound thematic height or if it leans more towards artistic misery porn. The circumstances that lead to three women in a small town all going insane based on nothing more than the barren landscape and harsh way of life in particular seems like a bit of a stretch to motivate the entire journey, and Jones' later misfortune once the journey concludes, all serve as a fitting contrast to the Traditional Western approach to life out West, but it almost seems like the pendulum swings too far to the opposite side at times in pursuit of contrast. Certainly not a happy watch, that's for sure. While the cast list is surprisingly star-studded among the bit roles, it seems likely that Hailee Steinfeld's cameo was a bit of an homage to her early breakout appearance in the 2010 True Grit remake. (3/5)

I always said the only places in the Old West for a strong minded woman like myself was in a whore house or an insane asylum. The angst of this time period is brought to the surface in this fine movie directed by Tommy Lee Jones as he explores the lack of humanity and some people search for it.

The Homesman was released in 2014 and it stars Hillary Swank and Tommy Lee Jones as an extremely mismatched pair of frontier people on a journey to transport three insane women from the Nebraska Territory to a Christian mission in Iowa. (The film was also directed by Jones) Swank portrays Mary Bee Cuddy, a woman who, uncharacteristically of the period, stands toe-to-toe with the men of her frontier territory. This type of defiant and strong woman is a character that Swank has become known for. With Cuddy however, Swank also paints an individual who while prideful and assured, is also extremely vulnerable and to some degree, desperate. Cuddy doesn't choose to live alone; she is forced to because she is considered undesirable by the available men in her life. Swank's portrayal of Cuddy is superbly multi-dimensional. Following a grim winter, three frontier women succumb to madness, each for differing reasons. It becomes Cuddy's duty to transport these three women across the plains to a facility in Iowa where they can be better cared for. As Cuddy sets off on her journey, she encounters George Briggs (Jones), a rapscallion character who has gotten into a situation where he requires Cuddy's assistance to free himself. In exchange for her assistance, Cuddy demands that Briggs assist her on her dangerous journey ahead. Briggs is both a hero and a villain in this story, and Jones gets that and has a great time with the character. While Cuddy is able to pull some empathy from Briggs, he's still a scoundrel at heart. This movie provides the viewer with some harrowing examples of women's experiences during this period, with some hearty laughter (thanks to Jones), with a clunker scene (Cuddy lost alone on a horse), with some oddity (a hotel scene in the middle of nowhere), and most of all, with examples of human resilience and respect. It twists and turns and will not take you where you think you know it is going. It is not predictable, and because of that it is splendid.

Spoiler: I was left with a deep sense of sadness, loss and emptyness at the death of one of the characters. Even more so as I reflected on it over time.

Interesting and definitely raw. Great acting.

The best westerns include a true sense of dirt, dust and some of the cruelty of life. The Homesman has it all, more than enough. An extremely household cast is not necessary, because famous actors are often overused, too often making just about any character less credible. Not so in the Homesman, additionally meaning that the makeup is very good. Staged as if it really were the 1850's, this film also gives a rare example of actors stepping beyond their normal character building and into another and unique dimension. Hillary Swank manages to overshadow most of her own earlier performances, and Tommy Lee Jones too, if not all of what we've seen from them. Like with Clint Eastwood, there seems to be no harm in directing yourself. Together with all the basic factors for a brilliant film, the leading actors simply make you forget that it's acting and become the characters they portray, as if it's not a film drama, but for real. It doesn't get much better than that. This is true cinema art, with all the elements needed, a credible and well written plot, with tragedy and comedy, hope and despair, grace and disturbance, patience and surprise, and a bit of music. This is no normal western, but it is a very real one.