Even though I wish he would make another comedy like The Burbs, I still love the majority of Tom Hank’s work. When I heard that News of the World was being put out by Netflix I was very excited to check it out. Tom Hanks in a Western? Sign me up! This is a great movie and one of the best Netflix has had their name attached to in a while.
How to Stream or Download News of the World
To stream or to download the movie from a digital store, click on the Download button at the end of this review. And if you like Tom Hanks, check out also his performance in Sully.
The Movie Review
The movie is set in 1870 a few years after the Civil War. Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd (Tom Hanks) was part of the Confederate army, but he now travels from town to town relaying events from all over the world. He tells people about the exciting and devastating things that are happening.
It is a rather interesting life he has, but things get way more interesting. While traveling to his next town, he comes across a wagon on the road. Inside this wagon is a young girl who is white, but she is dressed in Native American clothing. This girl is called Johanna (Helena Zengel) and she was taken six years ago by the Kiowa tribe and she was raised by them.
Jefferson decides to drop her off at the next army checkpoint, but he is then tasked with taker her to her surviving relatives. Jefferson is not keen on taking this job, but he agrees to take the girl home. What is great about this is that the two of them start to develop a bond and while you can see a mile away where this is going it is great stuff indeed.
I have always loved a good Western and The News of the World is a fantastic one. It is a road movie in many respects where they have to deal with troubles on the road as well as their awkward relationship. Tom Hanks is amazing as Jefferson, but I have to give a ton of credit to Helena Zengel as well who gives one of the best child performances I have seen in a very long time.
The way the movie looks is great. It feels like it has been ages since a big studio made a movie set during this time. As a result, the whole aesthetic of The News of the World feels like a breath of fresh air. The sets, the clothing, and everything else all feel very authentic and it helps get you more invested in what is going on.
I really cannot praise The News of the World highly enough. Even if you are not normally into Westerns, I would still recommend this as it is so character-driven. It is one of those movies that just zooms by as you get so invested in the story and while it may be a tad on the predictable side I am not going to hold that against it.
