The 'best' Western movie of the 21st Century is available to stream on Amazon Prime

A Western movie that has been named the best in its genre from the 21st Century in a list compiled by popular platform IMDd is streaming on Amazon Prime. Released in 2014, The Homesman stands out for its unflinching portrayal of the emotional and physical hardships faced by women in the Old West.

Directed by Tommy Lee Jones, the film, which also stars Hilary Swank, is based on the novel by Glendon Swarthout. The story flips the traditional Western narrative by focusing on a woman's journey across the harsh Nebraska frontier in the 1850s. Swank plays Mary Bee Cuddy, a strong-willed and independent woman who volunteers to escort three mentally ill women back east after they've been broken by the brutal conditions of frontier life. She enlists the help of George Briggs (Tommy Lee Jones), a claim jumper she saves from hanging, to accompany her on the treacherous journey. Together, they face unforgiving landscapes, moral dilemmas, and the psychological toll of isolation and trauma.

The movie has received a rating of 6.6/10 on IMDb. Calling it a "classic western", one of the social media users wrote: "Pure entertainment."

A second person said: "Phenomenal film. It paces itself like a slow epic showing a drudging journey. All characters in this film are thoughtfully portrayed and show a sincere grace to them. One of the most character rich films I have seen in a long time. This will definitely be in my thoughts for a long time to come.

"Perhaps there was something wrong with the marketing of the film, trying to portray it as a western/gunslinger film. If that's what you're in the mood for, steer clear from this. Even though it does have its fair share of western style violence , t's in no way the focus of the film. The best way I could describe this; It's a heavy drama (emphasis on the heavy) set in a western context with an abundance of gut wrenching scenes.

"Overall there's nothing for me to complain about. A fine film with plenty of thought provoking scenes that will leave you recounting those scenes for days. A must watch. Just keep in mind the heavy nature of the film."

A third user wrote: "I really liked the western 'The Homesman', but I strongly suspect that it won't be to everyone's taste. And I will admit that even this die hard fan of westerns didn't find it a perfect movie.

"The opening 30 minutes of the movie, for one thing, are somewhat confusing with some details, though eventually everything comes together and the audience knows what's been going on. And after that first 30 minutes, the movie continues to test the patience of viewers by being quite slow moving and long (the movie is over two hours long.)

"But I stuck with the movie despite all those things, and I feel I was rewarded in the end. The atmosphere of the movie feels extremely authentic, showing many of the hardships life in the wild west gave many people.

"Though the story is slow-moving, there are a number of interesting vignettes along the way. And you probably won't predict what eventually happens - the major plot turn around the two-thirds mark really took me by surprise.

"The last scene is a little unclear as to where one of the characters is headed, but it is memorable all the same. As I said, the movie is not for all tastes, but western fans who are in a patient mood will likely embrace it despite its flaws."

Another commented: "Really good movie about the Old West. But this is not about shoot outs. This is about the realities and it's very grim, but don't let that put you off.

"Great performances from Swank & Jones. The project has obviously had a lot of thought put into it, and generated a lot of interest with cameos from Streep, but the young actress from Bumblebee. This is not aiming at worthiness though & has clearly been made with integrity. Strongly."