News of the World Movie Review

My husband and I watched an early screener of News of the World, now playing in theaters. I am a Tom Hanks fan so I was looking forward to watching the film. The western genre is not a film I would typically watch, but again it’s Tom Hanks and I was curious to see what the film would entail. This is a partnered post. All opinions are my own.

News of the World

Five years after the end of the Civil War, Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd, a veteran of three wars, now moves from town to town as a non-fiction storyteller, sharing the news of presidents and queens, glorious feuds, devastating catastrophes, and gripping adventures from the far reaches of the globe.

In the plains of Texas, he crosses paths with Johanna, a 10-year-old taken in by the Kiowa people six years earlier and raised as one of their own. Johanna, hostile to a world she’s never experienced, is being returned to her biological aunt and uncle against her will.

Kidd agrees to deliver the child where the law says she belongs. As they travel hundreds of miles into the unforgiving wilderness, the two will face tremendous challenges of both human and natural forces as they search for a place that either can call home.

The film is based on the hit novel News of the World by Paulette Jiles. While the film has a slow start, it soon brings suspense, heart, and much more. The unlikely duo – who can’t speak to one another due to a language barrier – are able to create a bond that is essential in order for them to travel safely across the Texas terrain. And like any western, there’s bound to be a good old fashioned shoot out too! Hanks does not disappoint in his role as a good-hearted man….something we know and love about him. When Johanna (played by Helena Zengel) and Captain Kidd finally reach her aunt and uncle’s property, something just doesn’t feel right with the world. You’ll have to watch the film to see what happens.

News of the World released in theaters today!

 

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