Swank never finds a way into her gruff, stolid character or that Jones (mostly phoning in pitiable surliness) avoids delving very deeply into the story's protofeminist undercurrents
a terrific performance by Hilary Swank as a steely pioneer. But then her director and co-star, Tommy Lee Jones, gets off track, shifting his focus and losing some of our interest in the process
a rare 21st-century Western without shootouts or explosions, the well-directed "The Homesman" (based on a novel by the author of "The Shootist") paints a striking portrait of two individuals unable to find a happy ending in a brutal time and place
by Claudia Puig [USA Today ]
by Keith Uhlich [Time Out New York ]
by Lou Lumenick [New York Post ]
