News of the World is one of those movies where you give it the benefit of the doubt, and are unrewarded. Because I love Tom Hanks, and respect Paul Greengrass as a filmmaker, and because their last collaboration was the excellent Captain Phillips…I trusted News of the World. I also enjoy me a good western, and the narrative of this film promised an emotional road trip across the open plain. So yes, I trusted it. And then once the film began, I allowed it to settle into its story so that it could eventually “wow” me, because that’s what Greengrass and Hanks are capable of. Unfortunately, while News of the World isn’t a bad film by any stretch, it simply did nothing for me.
News of the World takes place in 1870, and follows Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd (Hanks),a former member of the Confederate Infantry who now makes a living traveling town to town reading newspapers for the populace for ten cents per person. Following one such evening of news reading, Kidd sets out for his next location when he encounters an overturned wagon on the road, the once driver is a lynched black man and his passenger is a young white girl named Johanna (Helena Zengel) who is dressed in Native American clothing. Kidd makes an attempt to pawn the child off to the military to take her to her people, but he eventually decides to do it himself. The remainder of the film follows the two of them on that trip, and the dangers they face while their relationship softens.
It’s difficult to place why this film didn’t connect with me. It’s well shot, outside of some bad CGI every now and then, and it’s very well acted by the two leads. I guess I wasn’t a fan of the perilous situations that Kidd and Johanna find themselves in. There’s a shootout that’s kind of lame considering Greengrass’ talent with action, and then they get caught at a racist community of former soldiers, only to get out of the situation way too easily. The denouement isn’t very special either though I respect the choice to not have another action scene. I just wasn’t emotionally invested enough to be affected.
Hanks is good because he always is, and Helena Zengel is very good in a role that could have been dull. Overall I liked the film’s idea that all it takes to bring people together is a good story. I agree, I just wish News of the World had one.
Grade: C+
Motionswee77 