“News of the World” Review
Tom Hanks (Left) and Helena Zengel lead the cast of Paul Greengrass’ latest film “News of the World.”
Tom Hanks is easily one of Hollywood’s most recognizable faces with over four decades of memorable film roles. Yet he still manages to deliver excellent performances and get audiences to believe that they’re watching a character ‘s journey instead of Hanks in a costume.
“News of the World” not only sees Tom Hanks play a western hero for the first time, not including Woody the Cowboy in “Toy Story,” but also marks his best performance since “Bridge of Spies” in one of the best films of recent months.
Set in 1870, the film depicts Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd (Hanks), a man who goes from town to town in Texas reading from newspapers to inform people of what’s going on in the world. One day, he encounters Johanna (Helena Zengel), a young German girl who has spent the last 6 years of her life among the Kiowa people after her family was killed in a raid.
Now tasked with returning her to her surviving family, Captain Kidd must go on a long journey across the western landscape with Johanna which will change the both of them forever.
Despite being a massive film, the main cast is relatively small with Captain Kidd and Johanna being the only people on screen for a majority of the film, resulting in an intimate story of kindness and finding family in the massive state of Texas which has yet to be settled. Hanks, once again, turns in a wonderful performance that perfectly displays Hanks as both resilient and vulnerable.
Despite Hanks’ best efforts, the true star of the film is Zengel whose performance as Johanna is one of the most impressive visual performances since Millie Bobby Brown in “Stranger Things.” Having lived her life among the Kiowa, Johanna regards them as her people, much like Natalie Wood’s Debbie in “The Searchers,” and has completely forgotten what life as a white woman is like.
She also can’t speak English which means that her and Captain Kidd have to find their own way to talk to one another, often by pointing to things and pointing out the English and Kiowa words for them. The growth that both of these characters undergo throughout the film is nothing short of remarkable as they both learn from each other.
Johanna is not a helpless child in constant need of rescue from the dangers of the world. Likewise, Captain Kidd isn’t the most independent survivalist which leads to both characters being in control of their lives, but also in constant danger from enemies and the elements.
“News of the World” also presents incredible cinematography and an impressive original score which transports the viewer back to the Old West but also shows how massive this environment is. Despite this time period being portrayed by countless films and television series, there are still unique ways to present a western story and director Paul Greengrass, of “United 93” and “Captain Phillips,” certainly understands this.
The story is a step-by-step path through Joseph Campbell’s 12-step Hero’s Journey. Not only does the film excel at this kind of story, which has existed through the dawn of man, there are still plenty of twists and turns which create a familiar yet fresh narrative. There is an emotional connection between the story and the audience which makes “News of the World” worth the price of admission.
