Overview
A determined woman braves the harsh wilderness to save those lost to madness.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Moderate
- bleak
- melancholic
- austere
- thoughtful movie night
- historical drama evening
What critics said
Critics generally praised the film as a traditional yet progressive western distinguished by Hilary Swank and Tommy Lee Jones's performances, severe cinematography, score, and costumes.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Mary Bee Cuddy escorts three women whose mental health has collapsed under pioneer isolation, abusive marriages, and neglect.
Rodrigo Prieto's harsh horizontal landscapes render the Nebraska-to-Iowa passage bleak, cold, and physically intimidating.
Mary Bee Cuddy's disciplined idealism collides with George Briggs's opportunism as they share responsibility for the three women.
The film links prairie isolation, refused services, harsh weather, and social abandonment to the characters' deteriorating lives.
Films like The Homesman, and why
True Grit
shares a revisionist western setting, bleak frontier atmosphere, and morally complex character study
Meek's Cutoff
shares an unsentimental nineteenth-century western landscape, gendered hardship, and restrained dramatic tone
The Proposition
shares a harsh frontier journey, isolated characters, and austere visual storytelling
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
shares a revisionist western perspective, psychological damage, and severe moral conflict
Movie Details
- Director
- Tommy Lee Jones
- Release Date
- 2014-05-18
- Runtime
- 122 min
- Rating
- 6.5 / 10 (911)
Cast
- Hilary Swank
- Tommy Lee Jones
- Grace Gummer
- Miranda Otto
- Sonja Richter
- Tim Blake Nelson
- James Spader
- John Lithgow
- Evan Jones
- Barry Corbin
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, Lionsgate+ Amazon Channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Howdy Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Homesman about?
- A determined frontier woman and an unreliable drifter undertake a punishing journey to bring three psychologically broken women to safety.
- What is The Homesman like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Homesman as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is The Homesman violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in The Homesman as moderate.
- What did critics think of The Homesman?
- Critics generally praised the film as a traditional yet progressive western distinguished by Hilary Swank and Tommy Lee Jones's performances, severe cinematography, score, and costumes.
- Which films are like The Homesman?
- Films with a similar feel include True Grit, Meek's Cutoff, The Proposition, and The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.
- How long is The Homesman?
- The Homesman runs 122 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Homesman?
- In United States, The Homesman streams on Amazon Prime Video, Lionsgate+ Amazon Channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Howdy Amazon Channel.
