The Homesman is an odd movie that probably most accurately conveys the stress and fatigue of frontier life.
Swank's character is charged with the care of three insane women and enlists the help of a ne'er-do-well to help her herd them back east. She adeptly conveys the outward strength of her character with the inward draining loneliness and insecurities that women faced out there alone. Jones's character contrasted that with the spitfire of life and his surviving all of the hell that the West puts anyone through with a mocking smile.
The two make a well matched, albeit unlikely pair. They seem to compliment each other even as they fail to understand just what makes the other one tick. Swank is righteous and God fearing; a hard working and extremely likable woman who battles her loneliness as best she can. Trying desperately to see the bright side of things. Jones is surly and apathetic. Not caring a wit about anyone but himself and forcing himself to look the other way rather than view the demons this woman has on her shoulders.
It has its high points and its low points but it keeps you intrigued for its slow duration. Swank looks at home in this costume piece and Jones knows how to handle the story, even if the ending leaves you feeling slightly bereft and more than a little bewildered. 6.8/10
Swank's character is charged with the care of three insane women and enlists the help of a ne'er-do-well to help her herd them back east. She adeptly conveys the outward strength of her character with the inward draining loneliness and insecurities that women faced out there alone. Jones's character contrasted that with the spitfire of life and his surviving all of the hell that the West puts anyone through with a mocking smile.
The two make a well matched, albeit unlikely pair. They seem to compliment each other even as they fail to understand just what makes the other one tick. Swank is righteous and God fearing; a hard working and extremely likable woman who battles her loneliness as best she can. Trying desperately to see the bright side of things. Jones is surly and apathetic. Not caring a wit about anyone but himself and forcing himself to look the other way rather than view the demons this woman has on her shoulders.
It has its high points and its low points but it keeps you intrigued for its slow duration. Swank looks at home in this costume piece and Jones knows how to handle the story, even if the ending leaves you feeling slightly bereft and more than a little bewildered. 6.8/10