Le chariot des damnés

Si le film déboule sans temps morts sur l'impulsion d'une réalisation énergique, le récit, inspiré du roman de Glendon Swarthout, manque cependant de profondeur et certains développements, de nuance. Les personnages posent les gestes dictés par leurs caractères respectifs, exposés dès le point de départ, mais on ne sent pas leur évolution à travers l'intrigue qui, du coup, tient davantage de la formalité que de l'odyssée.

The final section of the film is suddenly conventional, and represents a confused petering-out of strength, a tame meandering coda to the chaotic thrust of the story. It's almost like The Homesman, barreling along at a high speed, powerful and weird and funny and terrible, hits an invisible speed bump all of a sudden, and the pieces fly apart. But the conventional coda cannot erase the risk-filled pleasure of all that came before.

But while the film is bathed in a beautiful magic-hour glow courtesy of cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto, Jones' journey doesn't quite take off. 

Rodrigo Prieto's cinematography has a precise and spare clarity that provides constant pleasure, while the fine work of production designer Merideth Boswell and costume designer Lahly Poore-Ericson's contribute most of all to further defining Mary Bee's character.

L'ensemble finit pourtant par surprendre et séduire, développant une fine mélancolie qui émeut longtemps après la fin.

Voilà donc un western inoffensif, sans épaisseur, qui en aucun cas ne fait bouger les lignes de front. Et de fait, après avoir quitté la salle, peu de choses s'impriment. 

The Homesman est un film lourd et grave qui offre très peu de rédemption ou de moments de récompense pour une œuvre aussi aride. Et même là, les récompenses sont ambigües, imparfaites, cohérentes dans ce monde où chaque jour amène son lot de tristes et mauvaises nouvelles.

The Homesman est un film dérangeant (noter la musique) malgré ses éléments de rédemption et ses références aux sombres fondements de l'identité américaine soigneusement polie. La notion de nation n'y est pas aussi glorieuse. Ce film vous habitera longtemps après le visionnement.

Briggs enjoys one very traditional revenge storyline, but the character is anything but. His brief encounter with dignity tragically proves to be only a flirtation, but it's precisely that mercurialness that makes him such a truthful and compelling figure.

It's almost like "The Homesman," barreling along at a high speed, powerful and weird and funny and terrible, hits an invisible speed bump all of a sudden, and the pieces fly apart. But the conventional coda cannot erase the risk-filled pleasure of all that came before.

For much of its running time, The Homesman doesn't quite seem to know where it's going. But once it actually gets there, it attains a hardscrabble nobility.

Unlike other actor-directors, Jones never seems to indulge excess on the part of his cast. Though the characters are strong, the performances are understated.

The Homesman lacks the scope and depth of Jones' dynamite 2005 directorial debut, The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada. But Jones and Swank, walking the tightrope between comic and tragic, ignite combustibly.

And while it begins as a very straightforward tale set in the Wild West, it becomes a surprisingly quirky and often preposterous experience. There are moments of brilliance, as well as jaw-drop worthy sequences that are nearly as mad as the insane women characters that Hilary Swank is taking to find help.

Véritable anti-western, le film, prenant, âpre, réhabilite le rôle des femmes à cette époque.