The Homesman

As his resume suggests, and The Homesman reinforces, when it comes to Westerns, Tommy Lee Jones feels at home on both sides of the camera.

In just his second feature as a filmmaker, Jones (The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada) certainly brings conviction to this otherwise uneven story of redemption and gender politics on the 19th century American frontier.

The story takes place in Nebraska Territory circa 1850, where Mary Bee Cuddy (Hilary Swank) frequently entertains male visitors at her cabin but has never married in part because of her refusal to be passive or submissive.

In a quest to help her small village ravaged by sickness, she agrees to transport three women, who have been driven to insanity by tragic circumstances, in a wagon eastward to Iowa ostensibly for treatment.

Mary Bee is fiercely independent but physically and emotionally vulnerable, so she enlists the help of an irascible drifter (Tommy Lee Jones) after freeing him while perilously hanging from a tree for a petty crime.

She’s compassionate but too naive, and he’s cynical and bitter, operating purely with survival instincts in mind. Their mutually beneficial partnership evolves predictably, as their bickering gives way to a reluctant trust and loyalty. The journey lasts several weeks as they navigate ruthless terrain and unpredictable weather, not to mention encounters with Indians and scoundrels.

The screenplay co-written by Jones, based on a novel by Glendon Swarthout (Where the Boys Are), is deliberately paced and relentlessly downbeat, and it’s difficult to find a rooting interest amid all the desperation and despair.

Still, the vast, wind-swept prairie landscapes — evocatively captured by cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto (Argo) — certainly provide a vivid contrast to the more intimate character-driven scenes. And the deep ensemble cast includes strong turns from Meryl Streep as a preacher’s wife, Hailee Steinfeld as her protégé, John Lithgow as a trusting minister and James Spader as a shady innkeeper.

While the subject matter is hardly uplifting and a third-act twist provides a jarring shift in tone, The Homesman offers a thoughtful and compelling examination of Old West gender roles that eventually finds its destination even if it doesn’t take the easiest path to get there.

Rated R, 122 minutes.