In the 19th century Nebraska Territory, spinster Mary Bee Cuddy (Hilary Swank) volunteers to transport three women (who have lost their minds) back east, and enlists the help of a man (Tommy Lee Jones) she saves from being hanged. A genre-bendingĀ Western from Jones who succeeds in combining immense pain in the story with a sense of humor (in the character heās playing, unexpectedly enough) and gorgeous cinematography. Itās a film about the hardship that faced people who traveled out west in those days, and its torturous consequences; remains compelling throughout, even though the story itself runs out of steam toward the end. Strong performances by Swank and Jones; well cast stars in supporting roles.
2014-U.S.-France. 122 min. Color. Widescreen. Produced byĀ Luc Besson, Peter Brant, Brian Kennedy. Directed byĀ Tommy Lee Jones. Screenplay: Tommy Lee Jones, Kieran Fitzgerald, Wesley A. Oliver. Novel: Glendon Swarthout. Cinematography: Rodrigo Prieto. Music: Marco Beltrami. Cast: Tommy Lee Jones (George Briggs), Hilary Swank (Mary Bee Cuddy), Grace Gummer (Arabella Sours), Miranda Otto, Sonja Richter, Meryl Streepā¦ John Lithgow, James Spader, Hailee Steinfeld, Jesse Plemons, Tim Blake Nelson, William Fichtner, David Dencik.
Trivia: Paul Newman allegedly tried to get the movie made a few times when he owned the rights.
Last word:Ā āThey are not going west to conquer, they are going east to survive.Ā ‘The Homesmanā isnāt a western movie, but a movie that is about the history of women in my family. I donāt think there is a woman around who hasnāt been objectified or trivialized because of her gender.ā (Jones, The New York Times)