News of the World Review

Certificate: 12A

Running time: 118 minutes 

Starring: Tom Hanks, Helena Zengel, Elizabeth Marvel, Fred Hechinger, Thomas Francis Murphy

Directed by: Paul Greengrass

The story: When Captain Kidd happens across a young lost girl, he decides to undertake a perilous journey to return her to her home. 

The verdict: When it comes to film there are certain names, whether that be cast or crew, whose association will immediately make the film in question appealing to you. And for me, Mr Tom Hanks is definitely one of those names. 

As soon as News of the World opened, I felt my whole being exhale - Hanks’ screen presence is always reassuring and invites you to join him in whatever world he is inhabiting.

News of the World is shot gorgeously, helped by the expansive and beautiful landscapes which are the backdrop of the film. The score is also brilliant and altogether the technical elements elevate the film. In terms of Greengrass’ filmography, this film feels like the least experimental and inventive of his work and I’m not sure that the handheld filming that he is well known for is as prevalent here - which may either disappoint audiences or they may prefer the more traditional filmmaking techniques used here. 

I enjoyed the performances in this. As can be expected, Hanks is great and it feels like if anyone was going to be trusted to return a lost child, it would be a character played by Hanks. I was slightly aware that throughout this film, I often thought of Captain Kidd as being an extension of Hanks rather than a character completely in their own right. With someone of Hanks’ career and reputation, I suppose that this can be expected but it does raise an interesting question of whether this is an issue or not - something to ponder upon.

Helena Zengel, who plays Johanna, had already shown her impressive talent in 2019’s System Crasher and again she shows how much potential she has, even with limited dialogue. 

I do think News of the World may prove to be quite divisive with audiences though. For those who are die hard western fans, this may not have the grit that they are after. I must confess that westerns are one of my least favourite genres and so this slightly more gentle western was perfect for me.

Another potential issue with this film is the idea of it being about white guilt. Though I can easily see why this could be the main take away for some audiences, I didn’t feel that whilst watching it and so it would be disingenuous to say that’s how I felt about the film.

I thoroughly enjoyed News of the World. I felt caught up in the story and I felt that the running time sped by as I rooted for Captain Kidd and Johanna. It may not prove to be my favourite Hanks film, but it’s certainly a great addition.

The rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️