The Homesman

Harsh life in the frontier west has driven three women insane. Mary Bee Cuddy (Hilary Swank), a plain-looking, bossy spinster, offers to drive them by cart back east, to a comfortable life in Iowa. The eastward trek promises to be tough, however, and Mary enlists the help of George Briggs (Tommy Lee Jones), a man she rescues from hanging. This mismatched couple must brave cold weather and possible attack from Indians and other pioneers to get these women the help they need.

ClearPlay In Action!

There are some flurries of profanity in The Homesman, mostly from Tommy Lee Jones’s character. Three scenes of implied intercourse are cut, as well as several scenes of nudity. The violence, though sporadic, is graphic and surprising, including a gunshot to the head, harm to a baby, and self-inflicted harm. Although ClearPlay trims the blood and disturbing images, there is a feeling of despair and futility that permeates The Homesman. ClearPlayed, the movie is okay for mature teens and older.

Does Homesman put the ‘home’ in Home Movie Night?...

Filled with gritty realism and a color palette of earth tones, The Homesman follows the mold of modern Westerns that de-Hollywood-ize the romantic image of the West. There are moments of levity, but The Homesman is mostly bleak, and not for all tastes. It certainly gives an appreciation of what pioneers went through.

Marty Nabhan, ClearPlay New Sheriff in Town

Rated R for violence, sexual content, some disturbing behavior and nudity; 122 mins; Directed by Tommy Lee Jones