Movie Review - News of the World

Director: Paul Greengrass
Genre: Drama/ Action/ Adventure
Runtime: 118 minutes
Year: 2021
Starring: Tom Hanks, Helena Zengel, Tom Astor, Mare Winningham, Ray McKinnon, Bill Camp

Description: A Civil War veteran (Tom Hanks) agrees to deliver a girl (Helena Zengel), taken by the Kiowa people years ago, to her aunt and uncle, against her will. They travel hundreds of miles and face grave dangers as they search for a place that either can call home.

Review: Like his movie “Greyhound”, Tom Hanks saw his film “News of the World” go straight to a streaming service. It’s quite understandable due to the pandemic, but it’s a pity, since everyone loves to see new movies on the big screen. But look on the bright side, watching a new movie with Tom Hanks from the comforts of your own home is my way to sit back and relax.
In 1870s Texas, Jefferson Kidd has a remarkable profession: he travels from town to town reading the newspaper to paying listeners. Judging from his introduction, for many this offers a way to forget their daily worries for a moment. A big difference with our present, in which the constant flow of news is the cause of many people’s worries and escapism is mainly served by consuming as little news as possible. As a kind of troubadour of the wild west, Kidd knows how to entertain his audience with beautiful stories, but he has enough integrity to also read out the important news that may not be to their liking. Although Kidd has no specific agenda, he acts as someone who represents civilization in a place where it is sometimes far from it.
During one of his travels, Kidd stumbles upon the young girl Johanna. Originally of German descent but raised by a Native American tribe that has since been wiped out, she is all alone in the world and unfamiliar with the language Kidd speaks. The girls is as unruly as she is intelligible, and so Kidd tries to get rid of her as quickly as possible. But when he realizes that she shouldn’t expect help from anyone else, he decides to take the girl to her only surviving relatives. The resulting journey of over six hundred kilometers would now be a matter of hours, but takes several weeks in 1870 and is not without any dangers. Fortunately for Kidd, he can somewhat combine this undertaking with his work as a newsreader.
Story-wise, the combination of elements is unfortunately not that smooth. The fact that Kidd takes care of the young girl has nothing to do with his work or background. This means that the already fairly episodic story constantly switches between the travel adventures of Kidd and Johanna, and Kidd’s news briefings. Both fine scenes, but they are completely unrelated. Hardly ever do these two elements collide. As a viewer, you thus sit and wait for the premise of someone reading the news to provide some direction to the story, but in the end Kidd’s profession gradually proves less and less relevant to bringing the girl home. Kidd could have been a hunter or salesman, thematically it makes no difference. Tom Hanks portrays Kidd sympathetically and he is easy to believe. Character development isn’t really happening for him, even though his performance is really strong. And I really like the fact that he didn’t portray the usual gunslinger you usually see in westerns. Kidd has a lot more heart and moral and he is a genuinely good person. Could he use more rough edges? Maybe. But then again, he would become a more stereotypical touch guy. “News of the World” shows that the western genre doesn’t only have to contain people shooting guns at each other, thieves robbing trains or cowboys and Indians riding horses. 
While the screenplay might not be the strongest, there is little fault in the execution of “News of the World”. Director Paul Greengrass abandons his signature rough style (with shaky cam) for a more appropriately classic cinematic language: expansive landscapes, natural lighting and a pleasantly calm editing. Only during an intense shootout scene does he use handheld camera work, without damaging the clarity. Also in terms of pace, Greengrass takes it slower than in his previous films. But it’s not a boring movie.
“News of the World” is the type of film whose quality are almost self-evident. A western directed by Paul Greengrass and starring Tom Hanks? Yes, of course it’s worth watching. Even if its not perfect.

Rating: 3,5 / 5