Zane's take at the Cinema's

Westerns, at one point, used to be one of the hottest genre under Hollywood’s belt. The Western genre was even recognized as the most popular genre in the early 20th century that then lasted throughout the 1960s. Notable Western movies such as Cat Ballou, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, The Wild Bunch, and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid are prime examples of what made the genre thrive from a critical and financial perspective. But just like every other thing in the world, trends always come to an end at some point. Granted, you still had great Westerns like Tombstone, The Outlaw Josey Wales, and Unforgiven that still impacted the box office and stand on their own, but once you get into the 2000s, it’s almost as if they did’t exist. Even if a Western was hitting theaters, people weren’t driving in droves to go out and see it because the demand isn’t that high anymore. That being the case, there have been some successes in the more modern age of filmmaking with True Grit, The Magnificent Seven, and the film, 3:10 to Yuma, which are all remakes But with Marvel and Star Wars and even bigger tentpole movies being the big thing right now, a lot of Westerns that come out get buried. News of the World was never intended to be a major hit at the box office, especially with the country in the middle of a pandemic, but boy does this movie work. News of the World is an inspirational, gripping and stunning tale about the soul of an individual, one that embarks on effective road trip full of adventure and human connection. Tom Hanks gives a powerful and understated performance and maybe the scene stealer of the whole movie is Helena Zengel.

The year is 1870, it’s been five years after the Civil War and Capt. Jefferson Kyle Kidd has one simple thing to in life; travel from place to place to share the news, good or bad, with the townsfolk. He travels all by him self from town to town with just his horse, a weapon by his side and any other supplies to survive on his travels. But one day on his path, he stumbles upon a 10-year old girl that’s been taken by the Kiowa people. Kidd then feels compelled to get this young girl to a safe place by escorting her through the grim plains of Texas. However, his journey then switches into a fight for survival by crossing dangerous paths, both human and natural.

We all love Tom Hanks. Tom Hanks is an American treasure for good reason. He comes across as a genuine and all around good guy, plus the roles he embarks are ones that are endearing and effective. He’s the only actor to have won an Oscar two times in a row and he’s just world class talent. Even if a movie turns out to be a dud, Tom Hanks never phones it in and he always gives it his very best. His performance in News of the World is soulful, yet can still show the pain that the character feels about his past life. What this movie does so brilliantly is that it tackles on this road trip about a man who does one thing that then gets changed when he stumbles upon a child that needs his assistance, that it then brings out the best of his nature as an individual. Kidd as a character is already very informed and eloquent person, but it’s when he meets Johanna that changes his entire worldview and his entire journey with this child is heartfelt and profound.

Helena Zengel doesn’t have a lot of work under her very little belt, but her performance in News of the World will knock your socks off. Her character doesn’t speak a lot in the movie, rather her character will grunt, scream or in small doses speak in her native language. Nevertheless, her performance is full of bravery, perseverance and beauty. The relationship she shares with Tom Hanks resembles a efficacious father daughter type bond that carries this movie all the way through.

We love to talk about the best filmmakers working in Hollywood today but one name that almost never gets mentioned is Paul Greengrass. He’s an Academy award nominated director and his body of work is impressive whether you’re talking about  The Bourne Supremacy, The Bourne Ultimatum, United 93 or Captain Phillips. Paul Greengrass has a very effective style of filmmaking that doesn’t get enough credit. He’s been known for utilizing shaky cam but in an effective and artistic way. It’s the kind of style that recalls Steven Spielberg’s opening sequence for Saving Private Ryan and the intimate, intense work of director John Cassavetes. He’s teamed up with Tom Hanks, once again, and delivers on a great road trip in the body of a Western. He pays great homages to classic westerns but he truly makes it his own stand alone narrative. He’s also teaming up with cinematographer, Dariusz Wolski, who’s shot a lot of Ridley Scott’s movies and visually speaking this movie is out of this world. The shots of the land during the Old West, the towns or even the scenes during a campfire resemble a motion picture shot by Roger Deakins. If this movie isn’t nominated for Best Cinematography, we’re going to have a serious problem.

Aside from some slight pacing issues, News of the World reminiscences on the classic westerns we all love. It’s all about adventure, rebellion and the true essence of having that human connection. The performances from Tom Hanks and Helena Zengel are incredible, Paul Greengrass handles the story uniquely and the visual palette of this movie is irresistible. Even though this is a 2020 movie, we’re starting off 2021 the right way.

My grade for New of the Wold: A-