--- title: "The Homesman: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-homesman/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-homesman" critics_score: 66 critics_reviews: 28 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Homesman (2014): what the critics said Critics' score 66 from 28 reviews: 15 positive, 9 mixed, 4 negative. Most critics lean towards praise for The Homesman, finding a bleak, unconventional western with strong lead performances and an uneven story. Hilary Swank draws the most consistent admiration for combining resolve with vulnerability, while Tommy Lee Jones earns praise for his restrained performance. Rodrigo Prieto’s prairie cinematography is another point of agreement. Supporters value the film’s attention to women’s experience of the frontier and its willingness to move between brutality, black comedy and sorrow. The wide spread of verdicts reflects disagreement over whether those shifts are expressive or simply awkward. Several reviews find the storytelling muddled and the women being transported underdeveloped, including some that recommend the film. The Evening Standard argues that these women have little voice and become interchangeable figures, undermining its feminist aims. Paste, by contrast, credits the flashbacks with preserving their humanity. The treatment of these characters divides critics more sharply than the acting or photography. ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 18 May 2014. Festival review. Bradshaw praises the film as a superbly watchable, confident western, while noting that some performances and emotional flourishes verge on over-ripe. He singles out its rich storytelling and deft shifts between brutal shock, black comedy and sentimentality. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/may/18/the-homesman-cannes-review-tommy-lee-jones-hilary-swank) ## The Independent — Geoffrey Macnab Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 20 November 2014. The critic calls the film distinctive and moving, praising its ambiguity. He singles out Hilary Swank’s performance and the film’s subtle portrayal of women in the Old West. [Read the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/the-homesman-film-review-jones-finds-new-frontiers-in-the-old-west-9873746.html) ## Little White Lies — Glenn Heath Jr Rating 4/4/4. 21 November 2014. The critic finds the film an earnest, unflinching feminist western with interesting, suspenseful tonal shifts. They praise its emotional treatment of gender and longing, along with the strong connection it creates between them. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/the-homesman) ## Radio Times — Leslie Felperin Rating 4/5. The review describes the film as a woman-centric, looking-glass Western that reverses familiar genre conventions. It singles out the arduous journey and the story’s shift in terms after a third-act shock. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-q637i6/the-homesman/) ## Screen Daily — Allan Hunter Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 18 May 2014. Festival review. Hunter finds the film a beautifully crafted, poignant Western that avoids sentimental convention. He singles out Rodrigo Prieto’s cinematography and the restrained performances of Tommy Lee Jones and Hilary Swank for praise. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/the-homesman/5072046.article) ## Vulture — Bilge Ebiri Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 15 November 2014. Ebiri finds the film’s uncertain, halting approach eventually achieves a hardscrabble nobility. He praises how its uncomfortable tonal shifts give way to an elegiac, evocative ending. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2014/11/the-homesman-review.html) ## IndieWire — Eric Kohn Rating B-. 11 November 2014. Kohn finds the film a strange, entertaining but uneven western whose shifting styles leave it muddled. He praises Hilary Swank’s commanding performance, while noting that her role is underdeveloped and the supporting cameos distract. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/culture/review-tommy-lee-jones-strange-uneven-western-the-homesman-owes-much-to-hilary-swank-68147/) ## The AV Club — Ignatiy Vishnevetsky Rating B-. 13 November 2014. The critic finds the film flawed and uneven, but admires its deliberately unresolved vision. He singles out its integrity and personality, especially its refusal to offer easy closure. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/tommy-lee-jones-directs-and-stars-in-a-deliberately-cro-1798181908) ## The New Yorker — Anthony Lane Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 9 November 2014. Lane finds the film a sturdy, moving western, though its early comic scenes feel overdone. He especially praises how Jones cedes the stage to Hilary Swank, whose performance commands the film. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/11/17/hard-knocks-2) ## Total Film — Jamie Graham Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 19 May 2014. Festival review. The critic finds the film worthwhile despite narrative jolts and other wobbles. They single out the strong performances and expansive scenery for praise. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/cannes-2014-the-homesman-reaction-review/) ## Empire — Guy Lodge Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 14 November 2014. The critic calls it another solid directorial effort, despite a mid-film turn toward more conventional Western territory. The exquisitely shot adventure and Hilary Swank’s performance are singled out for praise. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/homesman-review/) ## RogerEbert.com Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). The page could not be accessed, so the critic's verdict is unavailable. No specific praise or complaint can be verified. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-homesman-2014) ## The New York Times Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). The page could not be read, so its verdict is unavailable. No praise or complaint can be reliably identified from the accessible text. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/14/movies/the-homesman-stars-hilary-swank-and-tommy-lee-jones.html?_r=2) ## Slant Magazine — Christopher Gray Rating 2.5/4. 9 November 2014. The critic finds the film initially ungainly and compelling but ultimately undermined by a mawkish, confusing final act. They praise its early distinctions between compassion and empathy, while faulting the women’s stories for being exploited as shocks. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-homesman/) ## Los Angeles Times — Betsy Sharkey Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 13 November 2014. Sharkey finds the film ambitious and emotionally compelling, though its adaptation struggles to contain the novel’s complexities. She particularly praises Hilary Swank’s vulnerable, steely performance as Mary Bee. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-homesman-review-20141114-column.html) ## Film Comment — Michael Sragow Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). Sragow presents the film as a gritty Western that looks the part, while questioning whether it is true to all its characters. The available text praises its sense of grit and appearance but raises a concern about its characterization. [Read the review](https://www.filmcomment.com/deep-focus-the-homesman/) ## Sight and Sound — Geoff Andrew Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 18 May 2014. Festival review. Andrew finds the film entertaining but disappointing, chiefly because its uneven shifts in tone weaken the story. He praises the sweeping prairie cinematography and the watchability of Jones and Swank, while faulting the portrayals of the three women. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/news/homesman-review-tommy-lee-jones-goes-flat-out-west) ## Time Out — Keith Uhlich Rating 2/5. 17 May 2014. The critic finds the Western ineffective and its nineteenth-century Nebraska setting grim. The page singles out Mary Bee Cuddy as especially affected by that grimness. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-homesman) ## Evening Standard — Charlotte O'Sullivan Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 21 November 2014. O'Sullivan finds the film a droll, stark Western but ultimately a shallow and unconvincing feminist epic. She criticizes its treatment of the mentally ill women, who are given little voice and reduced to interchangeable figures. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/the-homesman-starring-hilary-swank-and-meryl-streep-film-review-far-from-being-a-gritty-study-of-mental-illness-the-film-simplifies-and-sugarcoats-distress-9874831.html) ## Consequence — Roy Ivy Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 22 November 2014. Ivy calls the film one of the year’s best, despite its imperfections. He singles out its powerful ending, along with the lead performances and painterly cinematography. [Read the review](https://consequence.net/2014/11/film-review-the-homesman/) ## The Skinny — Chris Fyvie Rating ★★★★. 20 November 2014. The critic finds the film discordant but thoroughly rewarding, and praises its restrained performances and political edge. They single out Rodrigo Prieto’s painterly cinematography and the frankness of the imagery. [Read the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/dvd-reviews/the-homesman) ## Collider — Jacob Dunstan Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 27 August 2023. The critic finds the film an engaging, melancholic Western with a vaguely uplifting afterglow. They single out Hilary Swank’s carefully balanced, powerful performance as Mary Bee Cuddy. [Read the review](https://collider.com/tommy-lee-jones-western-the-homesman/) ## Eye for Film — Richard Mowe Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 18 May 2014. Festival review. Mowe finds the film a compelling, unconventional Western that reverses familiar frontier clichés. He particularly praises its magnificent visuals and Jones’s unsparing depiction of the West. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-homesman-2014-film-review-by-richard-mowe) ## The Wrap — Alonso Duralde Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 14 November 2014. The critic finds the Western bleak but passionate, unpredictable and distinctive, despite a significant weakness in how it develops the three women being transported. Hilary Swank’s expressive performance is singled out for praise. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/the-homesman-review-hilary-swank-tommy-lee-jones-meryl-streep/) ## The Playlist Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). The page is blocked, so the critic’s verdict cannot be determined. The available text does not reveal what the critic praised or criticized. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/review-tommy-lee-jones-unruly-the-homesman-with-hilary-swank-meryl-streep-and-more-20141111/) ## Den of Geek — David Crow Rating 2 out of 5. 17 November 2014. Crow finds the film visually beautiful and praises the cast, but considers its journey flat and laborious. He singles out Tommy Lee Jones’s performance as the film’s strongest element, while faulting the underdeveloped stories of the women. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/the-homesman-review/) ## Paste — Tim Grierson Rating 6.2/10. 12 November 2014. Grierson finds the film tonally inconsistent but strange and compelling, though less successful than Jones’s previous directorial effort. He praises the way the flashbacks preserve the transported women’s humanity and make them unsettling figures of the West. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/the-homesman) ## Digital Spy — Stella Papamichael Fi1m's normalised score 25/100 (inferred from the text). 18 November 2014. The critic finds the film’s storytelling warped and its treatment of women insensitive, concluding that it misses its apparent aim of inspiring sympathy. The review praises Jones’s atmospheric direction, especially his framing of the wilderness and use of sound to create menace. [Read the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a610229/the-homesman-review-tommy-lee-jones-film-is-tainted-at-heart/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-homesman.md