The Homesman

Anyone familiar with Tommy Lee Jones’s epic directorial debut, The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada, will be delighted to hear of his latest contribution to the chronicle of the American Western. The Homesman promises to bring the same kaleidoscopic character journeys that brought so much verve to The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada. 
What's it about?
When a rugged pioneer Bee Cuddy (Hilary Swank) comes across a no good, claim-jumping army deserter George Briggs (Lincoln and Men In Black star Tommy Lee Jones) in a spot of bother, she decides to make the most of his plight. Cuddy has been tasked with escorting three mentally unstable women from Nebraska to Iowa and decides to enlist Brigg’s help in the undertaking. Cue a seemingly linear but, if the critics are to be believed, wonderfully unpredictable story of pioneering fortitude in the face of adversity. Grace Gummer (Frances Ha, Margin Call), Miranda Otto (Lord of The Rings, War of the Worlds) and Sonja Richter (Open Hearts) take on characters with a myriad of human trauma. One has endured the death of three of her children (decimated from disease), the other has committed infanticide, and another appears possessed by demons. The all-star female cast, aside from Jones himself, is testament to the movie’s consciously gendered tropes. Whilst Cuddy represents the shear tenacity, and overhaul of traditional gendered spheres, necessary to survive on the frontier, her ‘cargo’ reflects the toll that such a demanding life could take on those of a less stalwart constitution.
Tommy Lee Jones, Meryl Streep and Hilary Swank
Tommy Lee Jones’s eye for the harsh, desolate aesthetics of the Midwest will be put to perfect use in this epic tale of human endurance. And with standout performances from Academy Award winners Meryl Strepp and Hilary Swank, The Homesman is sure to prove yet another invaluable chapter in the ongoing saga of the American Western. Keep your eyes open for The Homesman, a new opening in London's cinemas.