Hammerman Ikon

Hammerman Ikon Film Guide

News of the World
2020
***
Director: Paul Greengrass
Cast: Tom Hanks, Helena Zengel, Michael Angelo Covino, Ray McKinnon, Mare Winningham, Elizabeth Marvel, Fred Hechinger, Bill Camp

Following the Civil War, Captain Kidd, who ekes out a living reading newspaper stories to the people of Texas, agrees to bring a young white girl, who was kidnapped by Kiowa, to her aunt and uncle. This adaptation of a 2016 novel by Paulette Jiles delivers a combination of Western and odd-couple road movie. The story is not terribly original and its approach to some of the themes (racism and fake news) feels a bit too contemporary. However, this is a perfectly entertaining 2-hour drama. Tom Hanks and Helena Zengel have some nice interplay.