In a dire year for film, the new western News of the World stands
out as one of the few bright spots.
Directed by Paul
Greengrass (United 93, The Bourne Ultimatum), the film tells the story
of Captain Kidd (Tom Hanks), a Civil War veteran in Texas traveling from town
to town to read newspaper articles as entertainment for local working people.
During his travels, he comes across Johanna (Helena Zengel), a young white girl
who has been raised by the Kiowa. Her white parents were killed by the Kiowa
and her adoptive Kiowa parents were later killed by white people. The captain
tries handing her over to military authorities, but they instruct him to take
her to her aunt and uncle who live hundreds of miles away.
Most of the
narrative is Johanna and the captain's journey to reach her aunt and uncle.
There are a pair of shootouts along the way (including a nifty one where they
must outwit three men trying to force Johanna into prostitution), but it's not
an action/adventure film. One of the most admirable things about News of the
World is that it constantly makes you think "a normal Western would've done
XYZ here" and then does something different.
That said, fans
of conventional Westerns can still enjoy News of the World. Hanks
remains as good as anyone at radiating kindness. The relationship between the
captain and Johanna is an affecting one. The film's also able to convey how
difficult life was in the Old West without descending into misery porn.
Ultimately, it's
a film about two people haunted by grief, trying to find a little comfort and
peace in a cruel world. That's a message that can resonate with a lot of
viewers in 2020, even if our troubles aren't the same as the captain and
Johanna's.
News of the
World is now playing only in theaters. It will be released on PVOD (Premium
Video On-Demand) on January 15.
A final note about theaters in the
holiday season. If you're uncomfortable sitting masked in an auditorium right
now, you
can still help movie theaters during this difficult time. All local
theaters will allow you to buy concessions to go without buying a movie ticket.
Almost everyone's bought takeout from restaurants since March. If you're not up
for two hours at the movies, spend two minutes buying a takeout snack.
