Moustache Lockdown Streaming Survival Guide Part 17 | News of the World

 

When I first heard that Tom Hanks was starring in a movie called 'News of the World', I found myself wondering who Hollywood's nicest actor would be playing in the depiction of a scandal that resulted in a major court case and the shutdown of a national newspaper. Surely not Rupert Murdoch! I certainly didn't expect it to be a western. But that's exactly what it is, and it's now on Netflix, so there's no way it wasn't making it into our Moustache Lockdown Streaming Survival Guide.

If you're looking for more ways to stave off the boredom of lockdown, you can always check out the rest of our Lockdown Streaming Survival Guide, which you can find here. 

In 1870, Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd (Tom Hanks) - a former Confederate soldier - travels across the country reading the news to the public. On one of his journeys he discovers a crashed wagon and a lost orphan girl, Johanna (Helena Zengel), who has recently been liberated from the Kiowa Indians. When the Army is unwilling to help, Captain Kidd takes it upon himself to reunite Johanna with her family.

If you're looking for a movie to make you feel good, you usually can't go wrong with a Tom Hanks movie, and this is no different. Yet right from the off, Paul Greengrass' first foray into the western genre is meant to show the harshness of life in Texas in 1870, something it does it very well. News of the World definitely takes a few cues from 'Unforgiven' in that way. Filming took place in some beautiful locations, providing magnificent views of the American plains, views that hide the difficulties settlers encountered when trying to build a life there.

 

On the face of it, News of the World looks to resemble many westerns that have gone before it. A group of people must cross the plains in search of something, along the way they must face bandits, separatists, Native Americans, the army, and of course, inclement weather. In that way it's definitely something we have seen before, at times it's actually quite predictable. That said, Greengrass still manages to bring his signature authenticity to proceedings. Refreshingly however, something that does set this apart from other westerns - including those designed to show the west's gritty reality - is that it doesn't feature the troubled gunslinger. This is about a regular guy who decides to do something good, the kind of character that Tom Hanks is known to be very good at playing.

But the real reason this story is so compelling is the duo at the centre of it all. Watching these two characters begin to connect as they struggle through all the joys of life on the plains and a language barrier is endearing. Hanks may be playing his usual likeable everyman, but Captain Kidd is still dealing with what he saw in the war - or at least avoiding it - and the veteran actor plays him in a very relatable way. It's also lovely to see him opposite the troubled Johanna, as his concern for her evolves into mutual friendship. Zengel's performance is wonderous, Johanna has been continually torn from those she calls family and Zengel is able to portray that trauma mostly without speaking. Hanks and Zengel have this fantastic chemistry, which translates into a very genuine bond between the two characters that's heart-warming to watch grow throughout their journey. 

On the surface this is a harsh, authentic tale of life on the American frontier, but beneath there is a feel-good story of friendship to be found. The basic plot of News of the World may be nothing new, but the characters we follow on this journey - and the bond they develop - make it a very worthwhile watch.

8/10

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