MOVIE REVIEW

“News of the World”

RELEASE DATE:  December 25, 2020 (wide); January 15, 2021 (streaming)

MPAA RATING:  PG-13 (thematic material, language, disturbing images, violence)

Among the film genres that offer a sense of escapism is the western, and just when we needed a good western, America’s big screen every man, Tom Hanks, rides into town in “News of the World.”

Set some five years after the end of the Civil War, Capt. Jefferson Kyle Kidd (Hanks) traverses the country as that era’s equivalent of a news anchor, reading headlines and articles from the pages of newspapers to folks yearning to hear, well, news of the world.

During one such journey, Kidd’s travels intersect with a young girl, Johanna (Helena Zengel) who has been orphaned.  The two set out on a path of returning the youngster to surviving family members as they face the trials and tribulations of the harsh plains of old Texas.

Directed by Paul Greengrass (The Bourne Supremacy) from a screenplay he co-wrote with Luke Davies based on the 2016 novel by Paulette Jiles, News of the World is a nearly perfect film that combines a solid story, outstanding performances, dramatic tension, and beautiful cinematography (viewing at home does not do justice to the aesthetics of the film).

News of the World is a very satisfying cinematic experience, as relative newcomer Zengel is quite convincing and screen veteran Hanks proves again that he is among the most cherished actors of our time.